islam-catholicism

[Guest guest]

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (Sept. 22) - Protected by massive security, Pope John Paul II

arrived Saturday in this mostly Muslim nation and was welcomed as a voice of

reason in the tense climate in Central Asia following the terrorist attacks in

the United States.

John Paul made no specific mention of the Sept. 11 attacks or of the U.S.

military buildup to strike back - most likely in nearby Afghanistan - but he

expressed ''my good wishes ... to all people of good will'' who promote peace.

In a speech at the airport, the pope also stressed that political controversies

should be settled through dialogue, not force of arms.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev thanked the pope for going ahead with the visit

despite the ''troubled situation in the world'' and praised him for stressing

that religion should not be blamed for the attacks, ''thus protecting the world

from Islamophobia.''

''The tragedy that happened in the United States presents a threat of division

and confrontation between civilizations and religions,'' he said.

Thousands of black-bereted riot police and security agents lined the main

streets of Astana, with agents standing every 50 feet along the route of the

pope's motorcade.

Hours before John Paul arrived, an armored personnel carrier fitted with a small

cannon and carrying snipers in black balaclava masks pulled up to a memorial he

planned to visit - a sign of the ''unprecedented'' security measures Kazak

officials promised to take in this sleepy Central Asian capital.

Authorities in the former Soviet republics that lie between Russia and

Afghanistan have expressed concerns about militant Islam. Nazarbayev predicted

last year that Afghanistan's hard-line Taliban rulers and Osama bin Laden, now

the prime suspect in the U.S. terrorist attacks, would target Kazakhstan and

the Central Asian region in the coming years.

Kazakhstan does not border Afghanistan.

The Vatican denied reports that it had asked for or received assurances from

Washington that U.S. forces would hold off in an attack during John Paul's

six-day stay in Kazakhstan and Armenia.

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters aboard the plane that the

Vatican had taken no special security precautions for the trip and that there

had been ''no direct or indirect'' threats against the pope.

The frail 81-year-old pontiff was severely stooped as he descended from his

plane, with aides close by to assist him. He blessed a basket of Kazak soil

presented by two women in traditional embroidered costumes.

The pope's hands trembled and his voice was slurred, symptoms of Parkinson's

disease. A small podium placed on his lap toppled, and Nazarbayev bent down and

retrieved the pages of John Paul's speech.

''I greet the Islamic leaders and faithful, who boast a long religious tradition

in this region,'' the pope said. Kazakhstan's top Islamic leader, the grand

mufti, was among the dignitaries.

Roman Catholics make up just 2 to 3 percent of the population of 15 million in

Kazakhstan, a country four times the size of Texas. The majority religions are

Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity.

Some 70,000-150,000 Catholic pilgrims from Russia and Central Asia are expected

in Astana, which was declared the capital only a few years ago and has a

population of just 350,000. They will be put up in hotels, student hostels,

campgrounds and railway carriages, officials said.

Nazarbayev's security officers, Vatican bodyguards, and more than 3,300 Kazak

police will be deployed at the pope's open-air Masses on Sunday Masses on

Sunday and Monday, and traffic will be restricted.

The pope's first stop on his four-day visit was a memorial to the victims of

Soviet repression, where he laid a wreath and prayed for five minutes, leaning

on his cane.

The memorial honors millions of people who were exiled to the harsh Kazak

steppes and imprisoned in Soviet-era labor camps. Hundreds of thousands

perished, but many of those who have survived to this day - including Poles,

Ukrainians and other Catholics - were expected in Astana to see the pope.

''To think that we should have lived to see this day!'' said 75-year-old Anna

Bukharova, a Pole who was deported from Soviet Ukraine in 1936. ''We await the

pope's blessing.''