ASIA/KAZAKHSTAN - “My most important project is to help the faith grow that Christ may be ever more widely known and live in the ever greater number of souls": interview with Bishop Athanasius Schneider, appointed auxiliary of Karaganda last year

Tuesday, 24 April 2007

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop Athanasius Schneider was appointed auxiliary Bishop of Karaganda, Kazakhstan only one year ago. He is from Kirguistan Central Asia, his parents were Germans deported as prisoners for forced labour in the Ural mountains in the 1950s. Bishop Athanasius, ORC, tells Fides about the situation and challenges in the diocese.
“Kazakhstan is situated in central Asia between Russia and China. It is a bridge between Europe and Asia. For 70 years it lived under the atheist communist regime. The Church was underground but very much alive in the souls of the people. The Kazak people are a Mongol race and their religion is Islam, although most are of European origin, about one third are descendants of deported Germans and Poles. There are also descendants of Koreans, Chinese and other nationalities. To the people of Kazakhstan represent over 100 different groups. From the religious point of view most are Sunni Muslims. They are quite tolerant and moderate and we have good relations with them. There is also a large presence of the Russian Orthodox Church. We Catholics are about 2 per cent of the population. The Catholic Church here is a small flock which has come out of the catacombs. Only 15 years ago there was only one Catholic Bishop for all the countries of central Asia. In 1997 these countries separated and they were assigned ecclesiastical superiors. In 1999 Kazakhstan was divided into four ecclesiastical circumscriptions, four years ago the Catholic hierarchy was established with a metropolitan archbishop in the capital. We have a major seminary, the only one for the whole of central Asia. Last year we had the first ordinations of local priests, and so we continue to take small steps. Now we are allowed to build churches because for 70 years there were no churches or other places of worship and Catholic churches, culture are important for our method of evangelisation since we cannot evangelise directly. Asian countries are very sensitive to sacred art, culture, beauty. So we make our contribution as the local Catholic community building churches, promoting Catholic cultural values, through our charitable activity and social assistance ”.
A major challenge mentioned by Bishop Schneider is the “scarcity of priests. We have a vast territory but only a few priests. As a Church we are a poor in means and personnel. Another major challenge is to make the Gospel known in a Muslim majority country. Our evangelisation is mainly an evangelising presence, witness of life”.
The Bishop says they are building a new church because there is no cathedral and the intention is to build a beautiful church to make reparation for the many churches which were profaned and destroyed in the past, a sign of the presence of the Catholic presence. It will also be to commemorate the victims of so many nations, since Karaganda was surrounded by concentration camps. “Our church will be a place of pray, of memory, of reparation and pilgrimage. We wish to dedicate this church to Our Lady of Fatima, adding the title ‘Mother of all Peoples" of all the peoples who suffered in these lands. Certainly our means to achieve this are scarce and we need help from other Churches ”.
With regard to the future, Bishop Schneider says his most important project is “ to help the faith grow that Christ may be ever more widely known and live in the ever greater number of souls. This is the main concern of every Bishop of the Church. And then of course for vocations, we must work at vocation pastoral first of all with prayer. And build more churches since this is a means of evangelisation and the government is open to this initiative. That Christ may be ever more widely known and live in as many souls as possible and that other people may come to know and love Christ and the Church". (RG) (Agenzia Fides 24/4/2007; righe 45, parole 650)


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