DUSHANBE (UCAN) -- Incarnate Word Father Carlos Avila, a native of Argentina, in South America, has headed the Church in Tajikistan since it became a sui iuris (self-governing) mission in 1997.

UCA News spoke with Father Avila after he returned from a meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, that brought together the bishops of Kazakhstan and the heads of the local Churches in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Only Kyrgyzstan was not represented at the Feb. 14-16 meeting of Central Asian Church leaders.

The missioner spoke about his experience in Tajikistan and about the meeting, which he said allow the leaders of the minority Churches in the region to pray together and learn from one another's experience.

The Kazakh Church, with about 250,000 Catholics and four ecclesiastical territories headed by two archbishops, a bishop and a priest, is by far the largest in the region, whose peoples share similar cultures, religious background and history. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan each have close to 500 Catholics on record, but an exodus of people of European descent means these figures may not be accurate, especially in Turkmenistan. Tajikistan has about 250 Catholics, the lowest figure in the region.

All five priests currently working in Tajikistan are members of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, founded in Argentina in 1984.

Central Asia was part of the Soviet Union until it collapsed in 1991, and Russian serves as a common language as well as a first language for some people, including many of the Catholics.

During the recent meeting, the Church leaders discussed the various situations in their areas and discussed issues related to the translation of some liturgical texts into Russian. To further aid the development of the Church in the region, they decided to produce a common 2007 liturgical calendar for all Central Asian countries and organize a regional Catholic youth meeting next year at the Marian shrine in Ozernoe, Kazakhstan.

The interview with Father Avila follows:

UCA NEWS: How different is it coming from Argentina to work in Tajikistan?

FATHER CARLOS AVILA: Working in these two places is extremely different. Because this is a foreign country for me and the other priests, we have to learn Russian, get used to the local way of life, and do many other things we don't have to do in Argentina.

Secondly, when I arrived in Tajikistan, the culture was absolutely new to me. Unlike Argentina, Tajikistan is a Muslim country that used to be part of the Soviet Union. People treat us differently, because we are foreigners and priests. It's not bad treatment, but people are curious.

But I've experienced a lot of similarities as well. People here are very friendly and hospitable. They treat you very well, as a guest. Unfortunately, for many reasons, they hardly see Catholic priests and know almost nothing about the Catholic Church. Our task then is to show them Catholic values.

What are the challenges you face as a priest here?

We should always remember that the Catholic Church in Tajikistan has all the necessary freedoms and doesn't experience any pressure from the government. We frequently meet with government officials. They know about our work and do not hinder us in any way.

The biggest challenge comes from the fact that Catholics are a religious minority. As you know, the Catholic Church is one of the smallest religious groups in Tajikistan. Because of the education legacy left by the Soviet Union, some of the local people view the Catholic Church as something Western and alien.

As I said, many people know very little about the Catholic Church. And it is not surprising, since they were exposed only to Soviet writings.

Moreover, the Catholic Church in Tajikistan was started by the Germans and many local people are used to identifying Catholicism with Germany. Therefore, locals tend to think that Catholics should be Germans or at least Europeans.

We are working to change this thinking, and I believe the only way to do it is through interreligious and intercultural dialogue. As we also teach Spanish, it helps us in this area. We want to open a cultural center where everyone can know more about the Catholic Church and learn about Catholic values.

You recently attended the Central Asian Church leaders' meeting. Is this a regular event?

These meetings are held every year. I've been working in Tajikistan since 1996 and I participated in the last seven meetings, which were held in Kazakhstan.

I have seen what the Church in Central Asia was like in the 1990s, and how it is now. In the case of Kazakhstan, from one apostolic administration there are now two dioceses, one archdiocese and one apostolic administration. Recently, the Uzbekistan mission was raised to an apostolic administration.

It is obvious that the Church is developing here and, what is more important, the faith of believers is growing.

How do the regional meetings benefit the Tajik Church?

I think the most useful consequence of the meetings is that I, as representative and head of the Catholic Church of Tajikistan, have a chance to learn about the work of the bishops of Kazakhstan, who have served in this region much longer than I have. And I can benefit from their invaluable experience in their ministry and their knowledge of the way of life of the region. I can also learn what kinds of issues we need to address first.

The cultures and ways of life of the peoples in Central Asia are very similar to one other. Moreover, some of the Church leaders in Kazakhstan used to work in Tajikistan. For example, Archbishop (Jan Pawel) Lenga, the present head of the Karaganda diocese, has worked in the parish of the small Tajik city Kurgan-Tube.

Now we will pay much attention to simple but fundamental elements of Christian life such as forming catechists, fostering Religious vocations and emphasizing the importance of the Sacraments, especially Holy Communion, to Catholics.

God's love for us pushes us to serve poor people who need our help. We do such work through Caritas Tajikistan (the local Catholic Church's social-service agency) and the Missionaries of Charity, who serve in Dushanbe.

We also try to develop a cultural dialogue with the local population, who have a rich culture in terms of literature, arts and religion. Seeng these, we also want to show them the richness and beauty of Catholic values.

What do these meetings mean for you personally?

Firstly, it is a good opportunity to talk about our cultural and social work in Tajikistan, as well as improvements we see in the country.

Unfortunately many people outside Tajikistan view the country in terms of its recent tragic past (the civil war 1992-1993), and not so many know what is really happening here. Tajikistan is building a democratic society now. You can see positive changes in the republic's social and economic spheres.

Secondly, I think it is a time to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, for God acts through us and we serve people according to his holy will.

What would you cite as the highlight of your time together?

I think the most significant highlight is the time of prayer. It is significant that we, who belong to different nations and cultures, have joined here with only one purpose -- to witness Jesus Christ to local people.

I suppose it is very important to any Church leader to know what is happening in neighboring countries or dioceses, and to work on joint projects such as the publishing of the liturgical calendar, or just pray together. But it is not by accident that the core of the meeting is dedicated to prayer. Pastoral work does not consist only of plans or strategies, but springs more from the will of the Holy Spirit, which we can discern mostly through prayer.

The Central Asian Churches also belong to the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC). How would you characterize this relationship?

I participated in the Asian Synod in 1998 and communicated with the Asian bishops. I could feel their warmth and hospitality. I also understand how close our community is to the FABC Churches.

Unfortunately, geographically we are very far from one another. Moreover, there is a language barrier between our believers. Hardly any of our Catholics speak English. Most speak Russian, which makes them feel closer to the other Central Asian Churches.

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