Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States and International Organizations, has hailed the tolerant attitude of the Azerbaijani people towards representatives of different religions as he met with Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board.
Touching upon the Azerbaijan-Vatican relations, Archbishop Gallagher noted that these ties are developing along an upward trajectory through targeted measures implemented under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.
"We are extremely delighted with the high level of Azerbaijan-Vatican relations, the foundation of which was laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, and are successfully continued by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and developed through the efforts of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva. The apostolic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Azerbaijan in 2016, the meeting with representatives of religious communities in the Heydar Mosque, the visits of the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board to Vatican in 2022, and the reception by His Holiness the Pope are also of great value for the heads of religious confessions in Azerbaijan," Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade underlined.
Highlighting his religious activities during the post-war period in the country, Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade mentioned that the restoration of mosques and churches destroyed during the enemy occupation is being continued by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is currently led by First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva: "If you had the opportunity to visit the liberated Karabakh, you could have get acquainted with the efforts undertaken by Azerbaijan to restore and protect religious and spiritual heritage in our territories that have been subjected to culturicide. For instance, along with all other temples, the Armenian Church, as well as the ancient Albanian Apostolic Churches, are being repaired and preserved by our state, along with mosques and other temples in the central part of the capital Baku, as well as in Karabakh, and the city of Shusha."
The meeting proceeded with an official
