Logo of Pope’s visit to Kazakhstan unveiled

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

The logo of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Kazakhstan was released on Tuesday, with the motto, “Messengers of Peace and Unity.”

The Holy Father is scheduled to travel to the Central Asian country from 13 – 15 September 2022, visiting the capital city, Nur-Sultan, on the occasion of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

Logo symbolism

The logo for his visit features a dove and an olive branch. The dove’s wings are depicted by two hands joined together to symbolize those of the messengers of peace and unity.

The heart portrayed on the wings represents love – the fruit of mutual understanding, cooperation and dialogue, while the stylized olive branch is depicted with a typical Kazakh ornamental image.

In the background is a “Shanyrak” (light blue in colour), an element of the traditional dwelling of the Kazakh people, “the yurt”, and inside, a yellow cross.

The colors used, light blue and yellow, are the same as those on the flag of Kazakhstan, while yellow and white are the colors of the Vatican flag. The green on the twig symbolizes hope.

The motto of the Apostolic Journey - “Messengers of Peace and Unity” - is shown on the top in the Kazakh language, and at the bottom in Russian language.