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Charleston’s Andrew Demetre: “Yes, Fish Oil Is Good for You, and You Should Be Taking More”

When you dive down the nutrition rabbit hole, things can get incredibly confusing in a hurry. One expert might tell you a particular supplement is useless, while another would bet their lives on its efficacy. We’re still unraveling the complex mystery of the human body, and conflicting reports are an inevitable part of that research. However, as Andrew Demetre, a Charleston-based health expert, explains, there should be no conflict about the efficacy of fish oil.

The Power of Omega-3s

The number of scientific terms, complicated concepts, and peer-reviewed studies you’ll find when looking into nutrition and supplements can be overwhelming. But making sure your body is getting what it needs doesn’t actually require a doctorate in biology. You only need to know about a few key things, and omega-3s are one of them.

Omega-3s

Omega-3s, also called omega-3 fatty acids, are an essential component of a healthy diet. They offer a wide variety of benefits, such as:

Reduced Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and omega-3s can potentially help combat it. This is because they help to reduce triglycerides, which increase your risk of not only heart disease, but of stroke as well.

Reduced Inflammation

Inflammation can be incredibly destructive to the human body. It has the ability to damage your organs, tissues, and healthy cells — and it’s also linked to cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening health conditions. Omega-3s can potentially help to fight inflammation in the body.

Improved Mental Health

Good fats are good for your brain. That’s because your brain is made mostly of fat. Omega-3s are one of the best of these good fats, and it’s believed that a steady supply of them can potentially prevent or even help to treat certain mental health conditions.

A Longer Lifespan

A longer life is the health benefit of all health benefits, and while it may seem unlikely that one polyunsaturated fatty acid might be capable of offering it, there is research to the contrary.

It’s believed that omega-3s have the ability to preserve telomeres and possibly even lengthen them. Telomeres are structures that help keep your DNA from unraveling and causing chaos in your body.

These structures become shorter throughout your lifespan due to all kinds of factors, such as stress, poor dietary habits, and lack of exercise. A healthy lifestyle can combat that shortening, and so can omega-3s.

Fish Oil Is an Excellent Way to Get Your Omega-3s

Omega-3s are present in a variety of cold-water fish, such as tuna and salmon. Eating a lot of them is one way to get your fill of omega-3s, but taking fish oil supplements can be a more efficient method.

Fish oil is simply concentrated omega-3s. If you purchase from a reputable brand, this fish oil will be free of any of the potential toxins you may be ingesting if you were to simply eat a large quantity of fish.

While there is debate around virtually any supplement, fish oil has a steady track record of being a beneficial addition to your daily regimen throughout your life.

About Andrew Demetre, Charleston Based Health Expert

Andrew Demetre, Charleston health coach, physical trainer, and bodybuilder, first found his calling during the pandemic when he realized that many of his clients preferred working out from home. These days, Demetre uses his expertise to train clients from home, whether in the greater Charleston area or worldwide. Andrew firmly believes every client can achieve their ideal body through hard work and dedication — no gym membership needed.

A Founder’s Story: Peter Szalontay Recalls How He Launched DataMilk

Before DataMilk became the fastest approach to enterprise ecommerce user experience (UX) solutions, the VC-funded startup had to start somewhere. Today, the company provides clients with artificial intelligence (AI) UX optimization that rivals that of Big Tech to help them grow their respective brands and provide the best experience possible for its customers and users.

Founded by Peter Szalontay, the high-performing and high-growth company is composed of UX experts from companies like Google, Facebook and Mozilla.

“My goal was to surround myself with people so smart that they make me uncomfortable, while taking us on a joyful journey and creating financial prosperity for everyone involved — our customers, team, and investors,” Szalontay stated.

Prior to founding DataMilk, however, Szalontay put in the work, having led a 1,000-member team as a leader of the product management search team at Google. In fact, his team founded the model in which the tech giant still operates today as part of its responsive search ads, which centers on automated copywriting. Additionally, he also played a major role in the team producing a line of $100 million in just a mere six months!

Here’s how he turned an idea into a seven-figure business.

DataMilk, a Recollection

Szalontay recognized that both the UX and data science were a great pair in generating revenue. He learned this while still at Google, as the UX optimization was the top revenue increase generator for the better part of the last decade.

Having created a responsive search ads initiative at Google that reimagined the ad creative optimization process, a campaign that was literally built from the ground up, he came up with the idea of creating a harmonious blend of both machine learning and human creativity. Szalontay believed humans could provide ad copy ideas and machines could generate the final copy.

“Outside of Google, I’ve experienced how much effort it is to do UX optimization the traditional way and it just doesn’t scale,” he stated. “I started to wonder whether humans could load UX ideas into software and then have machine learning present the right idea to each end-user.”

Having realized this at Google, he wanted to set out on a path to make the idea a reality.

He linked up with former Google employees and took a deep dive into ecommerce. If the approach worked, then it could easily be demonstrated to potential clients, the profitability and possible increased revenue and profits. Plus, it all makes for a great foundation for business.

“We had no idea whether it would actually work, especially since my methods were tailored to Google and that isn’t really an ecommerce site,” he said. “We needed to build up our expertise. We first found partner sites and offered free work and, via our systems that enabled us to run many experiments simultaneously and measure results, began to provide results.”

The budding team began performing A/B tests, backed by numerous and exciting ecommerce UX hypotheses that would potentially increase revenue over the span of 120 experiments until they found one that worked. The one that shined was surprisingly profitable and, after testing on their partner sites and coming up green, the team knew they had something revolutionary.

“That was the moment we felt that we had the chance to make DataMilk a reality,” he said.

The team began to build each component to test from scratch and perform numerous multivariate mathematical tests in what was a difficult manual process. Initial experiments paved the way for the team to develop DataMilk, which features an enabled no-code smart component that was strung together with data and a central brain that ultimately decides what and when to show.

“These components are based on the UX that’s proven to convert for ecommerce,” Szalontay mused. “They’re powered by AI, so humans don’t have to do any of the work of traditional optimization. With just a few of these smart components installed on a site, the path to self-optimizing UX is clear. Since there’s no-code, anyone can build without the need of seeking services from product teams, designers and developers and engineers.”

It has been an exciting and, at times, crazy journey for Szalontay and his team, but the dream was realized and DataMilk has proven that self-optimization via automated UX is more attainable than ever.

With staggering revenue possibilities, backed by revolutionary processes and a team of experts, DataMilk is proving the future of ecommerce is now and they are leading the charge.

About DataMilk

DataMilk is an end-to-end solution for e-commerce UX optimization, from AI and data infrastructure to ready-to-implement optimizations. DataMilk is built on attention data: signals showing every user interaction on your store like click, scroll, view, and more and know exactly where customers are focused in real time delivering the most relevant experiences for the customers — and increasing sales for e-commerce retailers. For more information on how to join and build the next generation of UX, please visit https://www.datamilk.ai/

Jennifer Knight, Deputy Police Chief, Shares Advice for Women Moving into Leadership Ranks in Law Enforcement

Jennifer Knight, Columbus Deputy Police Chief, is a part of the small but increasing number of female police officers across the United States that has grown from 3% to 13% since 1970. Her specific leadership role as Deputy Police Chief categorizes her into an even smaller percentage of the 2% of women who are police chiefs. As an advocate of female officers and the advantages they can bring as leaders in law enforcement, Knight shares the following advice for women moving into leadership ranks in law enforcement:

  1. Find a Mentor

“Find a mentor. Sometimes that’s not easy, but there are women in leadership ranks who can be mentors. Actively seek out those individuals and talk to them. It is so important that you have somebody there to ask questions, to talk to when you face specific challenges in your career, to have somebody to look up to and to know that you will be able to get to those positions if you put in the work,” said Jennifer Knight, Columbus Deputy Police Chief.

  1. Diversify Skills and Experience

This is critical for any officer building a career, regardless of gender. Many police officers fall short of diversifying their skills and experience due to spending too much time on one assignment. For example, dedicating all efforts to gangs and narcotics to the point where administrative assignments decline does not benefit the skills and experience needed on an executive level. Officers leveling up in ranks should incorporate skill growth in areas such as administration, budgeting, human resources, support servicing, and grasping the jurisdiction’s procurement and legislation processes used to keep law enforcement agencies running backstage.

  1. Be a Student of Leadership

Developing leadership skills is vital for women moving into executive ranks in law enforcement. Knight considers leadership as one of her passions and says that being a student of leadership allows her to maintain a growth mindset that is always eager to learn how to be better. Anyone can start by learning how to fine-tune the elements that build leadership skills, such as democracy, critical and strategic thinking, and communication. Enhancing communication skills through free webinars, workshops, or classes can add to being a better communicator as a leader and when interacting with the public as a representative of the law.

  1. Help Improve Police-Community Relations

Women officers have the impressive capability of improving police-community relations, which is critical during this day and age. IACP’s Police Chief Magazine published an article stating how women are consistently rated as trusted by their communities and their high interpersonal skills translate into more effective field practices.

Out of all her tips of advice, Knight states that her first point, finding a mentor, is the most essential.

“I think that having a mentor is one of the most important things that you can have when you’re considering moving up in law enforcement. And for those individuals that are in positions of leadership out there. I challenge you to find women that are coming up through the ranks and mentor them, actively seek them out, support them and advocate for them every single day,” said Knight.

About Jennifer Knight

Jennifer Knight, Deputy Police Chief in Columbus, Ohio, is known for dynamic leadership, innovative community engagement, and excellence in the field of law enforcement. After earning her Juris Doctor, she received the National Women’s Law Association Award of Excellence. Ms. Knight is a strong advocate for women in law enforcement and is a passionate community volunteer.

Hunter Patterson of The Property Advocates Discusses How to Practice Effective Communication

Effective communication is essential in many aspects of life, whether it be in personal or professional relationships. Hunter Patterson, the president and CEO of The Property Advocates, says communication is actually a skill that you can learn and improve upon over time.

Before you can improve on these skills, you must first understand what constitutes effective communication. Only then can you work toward improving your own communication skills.

Below is an explanation of what effective communication is and how you can put it into practice.

What Defines Effective Communication?

Communication generation is the process by which people exchange thoughts, ideas, knowledge, data, and opinions. It can be verbal, written, or non-verbal, as in body language.

Effective communication happens when the message that is being conveyed is understood and received with purpose and clarity. When effective communication occurs, both the person who sends the message and the person who receives it feel satisfied.

Communication is considered effective when it follows the 5 C’s of communication — clear, concise, compelling, curious, and compassionate.

“I think being as direct as possible, while still keeping in mind you can be direct and kind, is essential,” said Hunter Patterson of The Property Advocates. “When I am direct and honest and speak to people in a way they’re going to follow, I think it gets a lot more people involved in the process.”

Be Concise and Direct

Hunter Patterson of The Property Advocates hit on one of the most important aspects of practicing effective communication — being concise and direct. Too often, people beat around the bush or sugarcoat messages, especially when that message isn’t great news.

But, people appreciate when even challenging messages are conveyed to them in a direct way, as it conveys a sign of respect. Moreover, it allows them to understand the message better, leading to better responses.

“Realize people have short attention spans,” Hunter Patterson says. “You got to be quick and to the point. You got to be animated. Make them laugh a little bit but bring them back to a level of seriousness.

“To be effective, try to appeal to what will interest them and what will keep their attention.”

Know Who You’re Communicating With

One of the most overlooked aspects of communication is the audience. How you practice effective communication with one audience may differ dramatically from how you do so with another audience.

It’s then important to tailor your message and how you convey that message to the specific audience, you’re dealing with.

“Knowing your audience — that’s always what I think about before I start talking,” Hunter Patterson of The Property Advocates says. “When you’re speaking to someone ask yourself what is the goal of this communication? What am I trying to achieve out of this in a positive way?”

By following some of these guidelines, you can improve your communication skills so that you practice effective communication at all times.

About Hunter Patterson

As President and Chief Executive Officer of The Property Advocates, Hunter Patterson offers distinctive leadership and top results to clients and stakeholders. Hunter aims to level the playing field between insurance companies and policyholders through consistent education, empowerment, and professional excellence. Hunter has earned the prestigious CPCU insurance designation and graduated Magna Cum Laude as well as Valedictorian of his class at the Barry University School of Law.

Tolerance and Side Effects Resolved Simultaneously. The commercialization of antimicrobial peptide C4

Company “C” has developed an antimicrobial peptide C4. The discovery has been shown to significantly reduce the resistance and side effects of existing antimicrobial substances for acne treatment and demonstrates potent antimicrobial activity.

Existing antimicrobial ingredients and antibiotics applied to skin care products that target acne-prone skin and acne medications cause side effects such as redness, contact dermatitis, vomiting, and fever in some users. There have been noted cases of antibiotic resistance observed also.

Company “C” developed a new paradigm of antimicrobial peptide C4 that is extracted from milk-derived protein. This was conducted through extensive research and development after the shortcomings of existing ingredients with temporary effects on acne began surfacing.

Antimicrobial peptide C4, which selectively attacks the cell membrane of pathogenic bacteria, exhibits antimicrobial activity

Antimicrobial peptide C4, a new antimicrobial ingredient developed by Company “C”, demonstrates a potent inhibitory effect against five pathogenic bacteria, including C. acnes, even in low concentrations. It is claimed that antimicrobial peptide C4 has a mechanism that selectively attacks the cell membranes that protect harmful bacteria. This explains its powerful inhibitory effects.

Antimicrobial peptide C4 targets only pathogenic bacteria while leaving beneficial bacteria on the skin.

Existing antibiotics and antimicrobial ingredients have the drawback of killing not only harmful bacteria that cause skin problems, but also beneficial bacteria that serve as a defensive barrier during antimicrobial action. When all beneficial bacteria are killed in this manner, the skin becomes easily irritated or breaks down in response to even mild stimulation, which can result in side effects and recurring problems. In addition to this problem, antimicrobial peptide C4 was developed to protect beneficial bacteria regardless of concentration by introducing a technology that selectively kills harmful skin bacteria only. As only harmful bacteria are killed while keeping beneficial bacteria alive, the risk factors for epidermal side effects are minimised significantly and the defence barrier is preserved.

Percent Science

Percent Science, a bio-cosmetic brand, has commercialized antimicrobial peptide C4 with an epidermally-applied product.

As antimicrobial peptide C4 has excellent antimicrobial effects, it was difficult to achieve commercial stability and maximum efficacy. However, the bio-cosmetic brand Percent Science has successfully commercialized antimicrobial peptide C4 as a skin care product through the use of biotechnology metrics such as cytotoxicity tests, substance stabilization tests, in-vitro cell efficacy tests, TDDS transdermal drug delivery systems, and human application tests.

How Much Manny Campoli Is Worth?

What is Manny Campoli’s net worth?

Net Worth: $10 Million

How old is Manny Campoli?

He is 28y old. Manny was born: May 30, 1994

Gender: Male

Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)

Country of Origin: Canada

Source of Wealth: Entrepreneur / Businessman

Last Updated: October 20, 2022

How much is worth Manny Campoli?

Manny Campoli, who’s real name is Manuel is a Canadian entrepreneur and businessman with an estimated net worth of USD 10 million. Manny has multiple businesses and start-ups . The latest are a custom home building company (BCS Construction), a pizzeria by the name of Pi Co, a fitness studio, a cleaning company, a car customization company, private loans and many more.

His instragam handle is @Mannycampoli

Early Life

Manny Campoli, whose real name is Manuel Campoli., was born on May 30, 1994, in Toronto, Canada, from Venezuelan immigrant parents.

Manny Campoli worked many jobs before deciding at a young age that working for someone was not the path he wanted to take. In his high school years, he used to sell pirated DVDs and cell phones from a locker to his fellow peers and his professors. “Ever since I can remember, I knew I was destined to be great and to be an employer and not an employee.”

In 2018, he took his biggest leap and quit working for his uncle as a site supervisor in a big construction company to start his own construction company. Fast forward to date, he currently has two offices and about 15 full-time staff.

People FAQ:

How much money does Manny Campoli make in a year?

Manny Campoli is making more than 1 million dollars in a year.

How old is Manny Campoli?

At the time of writing, he was 28 years old, born in 1994.

Where was Manny Campoli born?

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

What is Manny Campoli’s ethnicity?

Venezuelan and Italian

Does Manny Campoli have any children?

No

Kaseya Sees Big Growth in Florida: CEO Fred Voccola Expects 1,500 New Employees in Miami Headquarters Next Year

Kaseya has experienced tremendous growth since it was founded in 2000. In the next year, Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola expects that growth to explode in the Miami area.

Miami is the home base for the worldwide IT management software company’s global headquarters, though Kaseya has had a presence in the city since 2004. In the coming year, Voccola said he expects the company to add 1,500 new employees to its Miami offices.

This growth is in no small part to significant and strategic acquisitions Kaseya has made in the IT sector recently. The most recent acquisition occurred in June of this year, when Kaseya acquired Datto.

The acquisition will strengthen Kaseya’s IT Complete platform so it can continue to provide MSPs best-in-class solutions that help them increase their profitability and efficiency. The complete suite of products includes tools that address compliance requirements such as HIPAA, GDPR, CMMC, NIST (SP) 800-171, and Cyber Insurance policies compliance. They also help companies manage networks and monitor and stop cyber threats, manage projects, run a help desk, and solve IT tickets.

While Datto will operate as an autonomous brand from its Connecticut location, Kaseya still plans to add new employees to support the monumental growth the company is experiencing.

New Hires Show Continued Success at Kaseya After Datto Acquisition, According to CEO Fred Voccola

Kaseya’s CEO has seen much success in the information technology industry. Voccola has also served as the co-founder and COO of Identify Software and is the former president of the Brand Network Division at Yodle. Now, in his seventh year as the leader of Kaseya, Voccola continues to take things to new heights.

Kaseya’s hiring spree under Voccola began several years ago but spiked last year following the acquisition of RocketCyber, a managed SOC platform based in Dallas. SOCs require monitoring around the clock by cybersecurity analysts who must detect and respond to any threat clients are facing on their networks or on the cloud.

Kaseya CEO Fred Voccola said that these additional new employees will necessitate more office space. As such, the company is expanding its current location in Brickell by 20,000 square feet, while also obtaining new office space nearby that could add 50,000 more square feet of office space.

As part of the hiring spree, Kaseya plans to employ senior architects, various technicians, cybersecurity engineers, and analysts, Voccola said.

Kaseya is benefitting from the influx of talented workers in tech fields that began flocking to the Miami area during the COVID-19 pandemic. As he said in a recent interview about the topic: “In the early days, we would relocate people to Miami from other parts of the country and the world. We don’t have to do that as much, which is pretty nice. We develop a lot of our own talent.”

He said that Kaseya has had particularly good luck hiring talented workers straight out of Florida International University, which is based in Miami.

With all this projected growth, Voccola has high hopes for where Kaseya is going in the future. And with the demand for cybersecurity and IT services only continuing to rise, it’s no surprise that the company is optimistic about its future.

Hurricane Prep Tips You Need to Know from Top Property Casualty Attorney Galen M. Hair

Anyone who lives in a part of the US that occasionally experiences hurricanes will be sure to know many of the most common hurricane preparation tips. However, insurance property experts know many less common tips you may have yet to think of.

Whether protecting your patio furniture and swingsets or ensuring your home is safe from groundwater, hurricane preparation is serious business that can save lives and property. Not to mention the stress of dealing with the insurance companies if you have to file a claim.

New Orleans-based property-casualty insurance attorney Galen M. Hair founded Insurance Claim HQ specifically to help people who have their rightful claims denied by insurance companies. He’s very familiar with hurricane damage and the denial tactics of the insurance companies that try to deny clients the funds they are due.

Hair knows all too well that vigilant prep before hurricane season minimizes the damage of hurricane winds on your property. He also knows some prep tips that have served him and his clients well over the years.

“While some of these prep tips and home improvements might take a lot of time, they don’t need to be done all at once and can also be spread out over the year; they don’t all need to be done just before hurricane season,” said Hair.

Below, he shares his favorite lesser-known hurricane prep tips that can safeguard your home and family and all that’s important to you from intense weather conditions.

Document Your Home’s Contents

Hurricane season is almost here, and storms can hit at any time. Therefore, it would be best if you documented all of the contents of your home. Not so much the condition of every door and window, but the items you have inside and their approximate ages and values. As you buy things, keep the receipts in a file as possible evidence for the insurance company should you need it.

Suppose you are in the unfortunate situation of needing them after filing a hurricane damage claim. In that case, you’ll be glad you’ve got them on hand rather than fighting the insurer over every last cent you paid for your laptop or dining room table.

Hair suggests documenting everything from chairs and sofas to the items in your drawers. What brand are they? Where did you buy them? And how much did you pay for them?

“Do all of this now to make your life easier later,” he said. He also recommends taking photos of all your pricey items from multiple angles and doing an annual video walkthrough of your home — it can be a real timesaver once a claim needs to be filed.

Gather All Important Paperwork

Have all the paperwork you’d need to file a claim ready to go in a waterproof plastic file folder. Keep it updated and in an easily accessible place in your home office. This list includes wills, titles, important bank documents, and more.

In case of a full-fledged disaster, Hair suggests uploading copies of each to the cloud so you can access them even if your home is a total loss.

Make An Emergency Plan

Having an emergency plan means thinking through and sharing details with your family about when you would evacuate and under what circumstances.

You need to sit down and discuss where you might go, your route, and transportation.

It would help if you also addressed what you might bring with you. For example, a favorite toy and backup medications might be more valuable than extra socks that you can easily replace. Hair suggests having a hurricane ‘go’ bag ready during hurricane season should the unfortunate need arise to evacuate.

Consider Property Insurance Attorneys

When hurricanes derail your life and the insurance companies are making your life harder, not easier, you may want to hire a property insurance attorney to deal with the paperwork and comb through the fine print for you.

These specialized attorneys evaluate claims to determine what you are due — and tell you how to get it. Develop a game plan for how to get it. You can get an honest, no-holds-barred opinion from a property insurance attorney since they tend only to get paid if they get a settlement for you.

They also analyze evidence, file your claim and handle communication with the insurance company — including denials denied; they can fight back against bad faith litigation.

Hopefully, these tips will keep you from having to go through the devastation of having your home damaged by hurricanes and dealing with insurance companies to get the damages you deserve.

About Galen M Hair

Galen M Hair, Owner at Insurance Claim HQ, is a property insurance attorney who has helped over 1,200 families rebuild their homes and businesses. He has been rated a Super Lawyers Rising Star and voted one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Click here to learn more about protecting your property from disaster:  http://www.insuranceclaimhq.com

OnlineBookClub’s Founder, Scott Hughes, On The Rise With His Recent Instant #1 Best-Selling Book

Sometimes it’s hard to fully understand the incredible gift of love and what it does for us. While we may appear different, we are in fact one and the same – and this book teaches us this. For those who are looking for the right motivation to encourage you to keep going, you can be assured that this book will help.

OnlineBookClub’s Founder, Scott Hughes, On The Rise With His Recent Instant 1# Best-Selling Book

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All’ is a book that focuses on universal love and how it translates to themes of self-discipline and individual freedom. Combining all your favourite genres of self-help, religion, and philosophy, this book offers a list of wise teachings that is beyond your years.

Knowing how common trauma is among other people, the words left off the page keep you inspired with the understanding that you’re not alone. This way, you can guarantee that you can keep going no matter how difficult things get.

Holding a collation of a variety of different quotes from an array of artists, philosophers, and spiritual leaders, including Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, Vincent Van Gogh, and more, you can expect to come off the book learning more than when you read the first page. If you’re looking for the answers, ‘In It Together’ can assure you that you’ll find them in this book.

Everyone is on a journey to self-discovery and with the help of this book at hand, you will be offered nothing but guidance. To help kickstart you back into full swing, the last page will leave you empowered to thrive again in your life.

In It Together

‘In It Together’ unites us as a human race to know everyone is one and the same. You can see that with this book in mind, you can guarantee that you will feel all the better knowing that you have got a few key inspiring words to follow in your everyday life.

You can follow Scott Hughes at:

Pope Francis: Kazakhstan Made an Extremely Positive Choice

After returning to the Vatican, The Pope dedicated his traditional general audience to the results of his visit to Kazakhstan. “At a time when the current tragic war is making some people think of nuclear weapons, real madness, Kazakhstan has been saying no to nuclear weapons from the very beginning”, Pope Francis noted.

On the morning of September 21, Pope Francis dedicated the traditional general audience to the results of his apostolic visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, during 13-15 September 2022. Addressing thousands of pilgrims in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square, the Bishop of Rome said, that Kazakhstan “placed religions at the center of efforts to create a world where they listen to and respect each other in diversity”, and that the Kazakh Government “now offers the path of a civilization that unites politics and religion, without mixing or separating them, unambiguously condemning fundamentalism and extremism. This is the balanced position of unity”.

The Pope added that “it must be recognized, already now, that Kazakhstan has made an extremely positive choice, for example, by renouncing nuclear weapons and pursuing virtuous energy and environmental policies. At a time when the current tragic war is making some people think of nuclear weapons, real madness, Kazakhstan has been saying no to nuclear weapons from the very beginning”.

Hereby is Pope Francis’ full speech on September 21 at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: Kazakhstan Made an Extremely Positive Choice

Gratitudes to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev 

“Last week, from Tuesday to Thursday, I visited Kazakhstan, a huge country in Central Asia, on the occasion of the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. I once again express my gratitude to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and other authorities of Kazakhstan for the cordial welcome extended to me and for the generous diligence in its organization. I also sincerely thank the bishops and all the staff for the great work done and especially for the joy that it brought me the opportunity to meet with them and see them all together”.

“As I have already said, the main reason for the trip was participation in the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. This initiative has been implemented for twenty years by the authorities of the country, which appears before the world as a place of meeting and dialogue, in this case at the religious level, and thus as a protagonist in promoting peace and human brotherhood. It was the seventh congress in a row. The country with 30 years of independence has already held seven such congresses, every three years. In other words, it placed religions at the center of efforts to create a world where they listen to and respect each other in diversity”.

The Merit of The Kazakh Government

“This is not relativism, but the ability to listen and respect. This is the merit of the Kazakh government, which, having freed itself from the yoke of the atheistic regime, now offers the path of a civilization that unites politics and religion, without mixing or separating them, unambiguously condemning fundamentalism and extremism. This is the balanced position of unity”.

“The Congress discussed and approved the Final Declaration, which is successive to the Declaration on Human Fraternity signed in February 2019 in Abu Dhabi. I like to interpret this step forward as the fruit of a long journey: naturally, I think of the historic Interreligious Meeting for Peace convened in Assisi in 1986 by St. John Paul II, who was criticized by short-sighted people; I think of the foresight of Saints John XXIII and Paul VI, and of the great inspirers of other religions, to mention only Mahatma Gandhi”.

“But how can one not remember the numerous martyrs, men, and women of all ages, languages ​​, and peoples, who paid with their lives for fidelity to the God of peace and brotherhood? We know that solemn moments are important, but it is daily commitments, it is concrete testimonies that build a better world for all”.

Building an Increasingly Mature Democracy

“In addition to the Congress, this trip gave me the opportunity to get acquainted with the authorities of Kazakhstan and the Church living on this earth. After visiting the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – whom I once again thank for his kindness – we went to the new Concert Hall, where I was able to communicate with the governors, representatives of civil society, and the diplomatic corps. I emphasized the vocation of Kazakhstan to be a meeting place: about one hundred and fifty ethnic groups coexist there, speaking more than eighty languages. This vocation, based on geography and history – a vocation to be a land of meetings, cultures, and languages ​​- has been accepted and accepted as a path that deserves encouragement and support”.

“I also expressed my hope that we will continue to build an increasingly mature democracy capable of responding effectively to the needs of the entire society. This is not an easy task that takes time, but it must be recognized already now that Kazakhstan has made an extremely positive choice, for example, by renouncing nuclear weapons and pursuing virtuous energy and environmental policies. It was bold. At a time when the current tragic war is making some people think of nuclear weapons, real madness, Kazakhstan has been saying no to nuclear weapons from the very beginning”.

Glad to Meet Joyful Kazakh People

“As for the Church, I was glad to meet a community of happy, joyful, enthusiastic people. There are very few Catholics in this vast country. But their situation, taken in faith, can bear gospel fruit: first of all, it is about the blessedness of smallness, about being leaven, salt, and light, with trust in the Lord alone, and not in any form of human significance. Moreover, the small number encourages the development of relations with Christians of other denominations, as well as a brotherhood with all”.

“So, this is a small congregation, but it is open, not closed; opens up and trusts the work of the Holy Spirit, who breathes freely where and how He pleases. We remembered the martyrs of this holy People of God – who suffered for decades under atheistic oppression, until liberation 30 years ago – men and women, who suffered greatly for their faith during a long period of persecution. Killed, tortured, and thrown into prison for their faith”.

With this small but joyful flock, we celebrated the Eucharist in the capital city of Kazakhstan (Astana), on the territory of the EXPO-2017 exhibition complex, surrounded by cutting-edge architecture. It was the feast of the Holy Cross, and it makes us think: in a world where progress and regression are intertwined, the Cross of Christ always remains the anchor of salvation; a sign of hope that does not disappoint, because it is based on the love of God, merciful and faithful”.

“We give thanks to him for this trip and pray that it will bear abundant fruit for the future of Kazakhstan and for the life of the Church, a pilgrim on this earth. Thank you”.

Source:  The Vatican News –

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-at-general-audience-remembers-apostolic-visit-to-kazakhstan.html