Pope Francis will visit Kazakhstan in September, the country's presidency and the Vatican said on April 11.
The pope "confirmed his official visit to Kazakhstan as well as his participation in the Seventh Congress of World and Traditional Religions" scheduled for September 14-15, the presidency said in a statement.
The Vatican press service said the pope confirmed his intention to visit the country during a videoconference.
The interfaith congress is aimed at promoting dialogue between religions. The first congress was held in 2003.
Kazakhstan, a majority Muslim country, is close to Russia, which is waging war in Ukraine against which the pontiff has spoken out several times.
Kazakhstan was rocked in January by deadly riots in which authorities say at least 230 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed.
Protests that broke out in town of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan's southwest over a sudden fuel-price hike quickly spread across the country and led to violent clashes.
Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev called on the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to send troops in the wake of the protests, which were also directed at former President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
Since the protests, Nazarbaev and a growing number of those around him have lost their official posts, and Toqaev has said he will introduce political reforms.
Francis, 85, has never visited Central Asia since his election in 2013.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church is making several trips abroad in 2022, including Malta this month and Canada in July.