Aboard the Papal Aircraft: Pope Francis arrived Tuesday in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan for a three-day discuss with to participate in an inter-religious summit marked by means of the absence of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill amid tensions over Ukraine.

His aircraft landed in a while after 5:15 pm (1115 GMT), an AFP journalist onboard stated, and the 85-year-old pontiff was once to be gained by means of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ahead of giving a primary speech to the government and the diplomatic corps.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping will likely be in Kazakhstan concurrently Francis all the way through his first travel in a foreign country for the reason that starting of the coronavirus pandemic.

Their respective visits to the Central Asian nation comes at a time when the Vatican is hoping to resume a historical accord appointing bishops in China.

Requested by means of newshounds all the way through the flight a few imaginable assembly with Xi, Francis stated he had “no data” about any imaginable talks.

He added, on the other hand, that he was once “all the time in a position to visit China”.