Kyrgyzstan | September 07, 2023
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As reported by CNA on 8 April 2024, the Apostolic Administration of Kyrgyzstan convened a two-day meeting in the capital of Bishkek directly after Easter dedicated to prayer and the ministry of the small yet budding Catholic community.
Catholics have been present in Kyrgyzstan since the 14th century but most are descendants of German, Polish and other European families deported to Central Asia during World War II by Stalin. Currently, there are several hundred Catholics in the country belonging to either the Roman or Byzantine rite. In the predominantly Muslim country, they account for less than 0.01% of the total population and 0.2% of the total number of Christians in the country (World Christian Database data in WWR, Kyrgyzstan Full Country Dossier, March 2024, p.20).
World Watch Research analyst Rolf Zeegers regards this report as one of the few positive items about the Christian community in Kyrgyzstan: “The fact that such meetings can be held and that the church is slowly growing are an exception to the mostly negative reports about the various governments in Central Asia who restrict religious activities in their countries.”
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