Papal coronation him, approaching one by one and kissing his hand. Then the archbishops and bishops approached and kissed his feet. Following this, at least from the beginning of the 16th century, the newly elected pope was carried in state through St. Peter's Basilica on the "sedia gestatoria", under a white canopy, with the papal flabella (ceremonial fans) to either side. Instead of the papal tiara, he wore a jewelled mitre (the episcopal "mitra pretiosa"). Three times, the procession was stopped, and a bundle of flax lashed to a gilded staff was burnt before the newly elected pontiff, while a master of
Religion in Kazakhstan done its best to provide equality among all religious organizations and their followers. In the late 1990s, however, a slight decline in religiosity occurred. The draft religion law being considered in June 2008 has raised international concern over whether there is an intention to meet general standards of freedom of religion and human rights. Islam is the most commonly practiced religion in Kazakhstan; it was introduced to the region during the 8th century by the Arabs. Traditionally ethnic Kazakhs are Sunni Muslims who mainly follow the Hanafi school. Kazakhs including other ethnic groups of Muslim background make up over 90