15:08, 09 ноября 2022, Bishkek - 24-kg.com news agency , Yuri KOPYTIN
A Catholic cathedral will be built in the center of Bishkek on 107, Umetaliev Street. Representatives of the clergy, participants and authors of the project told at a press conference at 24-kg.com news agency.
«This is a significant day and a significant, historical event not only for the Catholics of Kyrgyzstan, but for all Kyrgyzstanis. Construction of the new cathedral will also have great international significance. Our republic adheres to democratic principles and principles of freedom of religion. Construction of the cathedral is a confirmation of this,» said Valery Dil, Advisor to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Apostolic Administration.
According to the architect Alexander Klishevich, the design and estimate documentation for the future cathedral has already been completed. Land plot has been acquired.
«Construction will start this winter and will last 2-3 years. When developing the project, a specific task was set — it should correspond to the traditions of Catholic architecture, but taking into account modernity, so that in the end the cathedral would fit into the overall architecture of the capital. The complex will consist of a temple and an administrative building,» he said.
«We pray in different ways, but in the end we always pursue the same goals — to make the world around us a better place. The Catholic Church has always supported Kyrgyzstan, including in difficult days for the republic — during the events in Osh, the coronavirus pandemic and so on. When Pope Francis consecrated the cornerstone for the new Catholic Church in Bishkek a month and a half ago in Nur-Sultan, he reminded us all of the importance of our mission to help those in need,» he stressed.
He reminded that representatives of Catholicism for the first time appeared on the territory of present-day Kyrgyzstan in the 13th-14th centuries. In 1969, the first Catholic community was registered in the city of Frunze, which in 1981 consisted of 533 people. Today it is more than 2,000 people. On August 27, 1992, diplomatic relations were established between Kyrgyzstan and the Vatican.
There are currently parishes in Bishkek, Talas and Jalal-Abad. Catholic organizations on a permanent basis provide assistance to the poor, orphanages and homes for the elderly. Church representatives organized courses in mathematics, physics, computer science, chemistry and biology for high school students of the republic.