A Jesuit's impressions of the meeting with Francis in Astana.

It has already become a tradition that during his travels abroad, Pope Francis allocates time to meet with his brothers from the Society of Jesus, to talk with them on various topics, to learn about their work. This happened earlier in Poland (during the World Youth Day in 2018), in Slovakia, Malta, Canada, and most recently in the capital of Kazakhstan, where the Holy Father participated in the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

The Jesuits do not currently serve in the territory of Kazakhstan (although we were present in several places there in the past and even built a church in the future capital - Astana, which later became the cathedral; Pope Francis prayed in it, too, during the meeting with the clergy and the religious). For this reason, members of the Society of Jesus from the region to which this Central Asian country administratively belongs were invited to meet with the Pontiff: in addition to Kyrgyzstan and Russia, it is also Belarus, so the two Jesuits of Vitebsk were among those who received an invitation to come to the meeting.

To be honest, at first I doubted whether such a long journey was worth it: can we really be called "local Jesuits" after traveling 3,000 km? But Jesuit obedience prevailed and we bought plane tickets. In addition to us, 17 other Jesuits who serve in Moscow, St. Petersburg, various places in Siberia and Kyrgyzstan responded to the invitation. Together we represented 11(!) different nationalities.

Excitement and anxiety

The meeting took place in the nunciature on the morning of September 15, on the last, third day of the Pope's visit. Of course, there was both excitement and some anxiety before such an event: such an occasion happens, perhaps, once in a lifetime. How to behave, what to say?... But Pope Francis does a great job of breaking the ice. He arrived almost 20 minutes early and greeted each one individually. I was lucky enough to be one of the translators, so I took a seat next to the Holy Father and was so close to him during the entire meeting that it was almost hard to believe.

Such an experience certainly leaves a strong impression: the charisma of Pope Francis is felt almost physically. It's not just that one is next to a person whom billions of people listen to, but that this person is a real moral and spiritual authority, thanks not to his formal position, but to the fact that he consistently embodies in life what he believes and what the Holy Spirit inspires him. At the same time, there is an awareness that the Pope is a person who has his own imperfections and limitations, starting with his physical health: it was impressive how, because of a knee problem, he has to allow to be transferred from a wheelchair to a chair and back, how it is hard for him to stand… Along with all this, the Pope behaves very simply and directly, jokes and laughs heartily: he really knows how to break down the walls.

The mystery of the Kingdom of God

The matter of our conversation with the Pope is, of course, top secret. Just kidding. In fact, there was no revelation of any special mysteries, except, perhaps, the awareness of the mystery of the Kingdom of God, which is very close, but hidden from ordinary perception. First of all, the Holy Father reminded us to be close to God's people, to be able to hear their affliction and suffering, especially in our difficult times. It was certainly impossible to omit in our conversation the tragic events of recent times - the war and its consequences. When one of those present asked the Pope what prayer is most often in his heart, he answered that it is a very simple invocation to God: "Lord, look at your people!" Francis shared his conviction of the importance of intercessory prayer with courage and persistence (parresia), with trust, but at the same time "importuning" God, as Abraham did when he prayed for the inhabitants of Sodom. The Pope stated that without the practice of talking to God, staying before God, there can be no authentic vocation. The Holy Father also reminded his brothers in the Society that one cannot be an expert in something in the first place, and then be a Jesuit: one must first of all live one's vocation, really feel that one belongs to the religious family, and then look at what to do and in what area to specialize. In the context of an interreligious event, during which a strong appeal for peace was pronounced once again, the Pope also taught us in the spirit of ecumenism to build bridges, to look for what unites, not divides.

I hope that these impressions of mine helped convey the atmosphere of the meeting with the Jesuit Pope. May the Lord preserve him and guide him with his Spirit for the good of the whole universal Church.

Victor Zhuk