At a meeting in Uzbekistan, the bishops of the Central Asian Bishops’ Conference expressed “fervent support” for Pope Leo’s “peacemaking efforts and pastoral ministry” following President Donald Trump’s social media post blasting the Pontiff.
The bishops and other ordinaries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Azerbaijan elected Cardinal Giorgio Marengo (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) as the conference’s president; Bishop José Luis Mumbiela Sierra (Almaty, Kazakhstan) as vice president; and Auxiliary Bishop Yevgeniy Zinkovskiy (Karaganda, Kazakhstan) as secretary general.