Deputy Bauyrzhan Smailov expressed confusion regarding the necessity of constructing such a temple: "You claim that you are building the largest church in Central Asia. Who is financing this project? Does the city really need such a church? Were these questions discussed? We already have many churches of different sizes. Creating a huge cathedral at the entrance to the city, in my opinion, is not something to be proud of."
In response, Rishat Turdybekov stated that the decision to build had been made a long time ago and included in the master plan of the capital. The project was approved back in 2018-2019, and no budget funds are allocated for the construction of the church.
— You know that the funding for the construction of mosques and churches does not come from the state budget. It is private donations. We are not builders, – the akim stated.
Nevertheless, the response did not calm the deputies, and Smailov attempted to continue the discussion, but he was not given the opportunity. The akim promised to provide additional clarifications later, after which the moderator changed the topic of the meeting. It is worth noting that in September 2025, the building church was visited by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus', which also drew public attention to this project.
