Kazakhstan and Vatican partner on rights charter for terminally ill kids

The draft Charter of the Rights of the Child with an Incurable Disease was discussed at the second joint colloquium between Kazakhstan and the Holy See, held on Oct. 2-3 in Astana, according to Akorda, the Kazakh presidential administration. The document is being promoted as a joint initiative of Kazakhstan and the Vatican.

The opening session was attended by Yerlan Karin, vice president of Kazakhstan and head of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, and Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The colloquium focuses on protecting the lives, health and dignity of children with severe and incurable illnesses. It brought together government officials, religious leaders, medical professionals, academics and other experts.

Speaking at the opening, Karin emphasized that interreligious dialogue should produce tangible humanitarian results. He thanked the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and Bambino Gesù Hospital for their contributions to drafting the charter. He also highlighted the hospital’s cooperation with the University Medical Center in Astana and wished participants productive sessions and substantive discussions.

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Karin meets with cardinal

Before the colloquium’s opening, Karin met with Cardinal Koovakad. They discussed cooperation within the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and the colloquium, as well as the implementation of joint humanitarian initiatives.

Koovakad conveyed greetings from Pope Leo XIV to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and extended the pope’s best wishes to the people of Kazakhstan.