CARDINAL LUIS ANTONIO TAGLE VISITED SEVERAL STRUCTURES OF THE APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE OF AZERBAJAN

On October 18, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelization, who is on visit in Azerbaijan at the invitation of Bishop Vladimir Fekete, visited the construction site of the St. John Paul II Church in Baku.

The land for the construction of the second Catholic church in Baku was allocated by special order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. In December 2024, Archbishop Richard Gallagher, Secretary of the Holy See for Relations with Countries and International Organizations, blessed the site and the foundation stone of the future church.

There, Cardinal Tagle also met with Ramin Mammadov, Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Work with Religious Assiciations. The Cardinal Pro-Prefect highly appreciated the level of interreligious relations in Azerbaijani society and expressed gratitude to the government and public for the conditions created in Azerbaijan for the activities of the Catholic community.

During his visit to the Apostolic Prefecture of Azerbaijan, Cardinal Tagle visited the St. Teresa of Calcutta Homeless Shelter in Baku, where he celebrated Holy Mass for the sisters of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity.

That same day, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, accompanied by Bishop Vladimir Fekete, visited the Curia of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan. At the Curia, the distinguished guest was warmly welcomed by local clergy, as well as priests and religious of the Salesian Order, who had arrived in Baku to participate in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the mission in Azerbaijan.

During a shared tea party in the Curia’s refectory, the participants had the opportunity to ask the cardinal questions on current issues in ecclesiastical life worldwide.