The sky blue and yellow logo includes two hands forming the image of a dove with an olive branch.
A heart on the dove’s wing “represents love, fruit of reciprocal understanding, cooperation, and dialogue,” according to the Vatican press release.
The olive branch has been drawn in the shape of a typical Kazakh Ornament, a type of ancient folk art.
Behind the dove, blue lines form the image of a “shanyrak,” part of the Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The “shanyrak” symbolizes the upper dome-like portion of a yurt, the traditional round tent used by nomadic groups in Central Asia. Yellow lines inside the blue lines form a cross.
The blue and yellow of the logo are the colors of the Kazakhstan flag.
Ethnic Kazakhs are predominantly Sunni Muslims, the most commonly practiced religion in the country. According to a 2009 national census, the second most practiced religion is Russian Orthodox Christianity, at more than 20%. The country, which has approximately 250,000 Latin-rite Catholics, according to 2008 statistics, is also home to many immigrants.