Officials of the tiny Church in Kyrgyzstan, which was set up as a mission post in 1997, announce the construction of a cathedral in the capital Bishkek
Pope Francis, in December 2021, during the reception in audience of ambassadors, including the one from Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by SPAZIANI/PICTURE ALLIANCE/MAXPPP)
Catholic officials in Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia with an overwhelming Muslim majority, have presented plans for the construction of their Church’s very first cathedral. It will be located in the center of Bishkek, the capital of this landlocked country of nearly 7 million people.
Jesuit Father James Corcoran, who has been apostolic administrator of the tiny Catholic community in Kyrgyzstan since 2017, said construction work will get underway this winter and is expected to take three years.