Pope John Paul II has left the Kazakh capital, Astana, for Armenia on the second leg of a week-long trip that has been overshadowed by terrorist attacks in the US.
He is expected to arrive in Yerevan in the early afternoon.
The Pope was given a warm send-off by Kazakh President Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev, who helped the pontiff up the steps to the plane while members of the public, waving coloured scarves, dressed in traditional costume.
During his three-day visit to Armenia, the Pope will join the 1,700th anniversary celebrations marking the adoption of Christianity as a state religion under king Tiridate III in 301.
The latest papal trip has brought the Pope close to Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden, the Saudi dissident suspected of masterminding the US attacks, is thought to be hiding.
The Pope took advantage of his four-day visit to mainly Muslim Kazakhstan to make a call for the resolution of conflicts by peaceful means.
He also told Muslims and Catholics in the former Soviet republic that religion could never be used as an excuse for war and urged all faiths to unite in a world without violence.
"Kazakhstan, a nation, which has centuries of history behind it, knows how important and urgent peace is," the Pope said.
AFP