Pope Francis yesterday received an exuberant welcome in Mongolia on the first papal visit to the Asian nation, as he sent a message of “unity and peace” to neighboring China in a bid to improve ties.
The 86-year-old pontiff’s trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for its tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400 — but at the same time a strategic move to improve Vatican ties with Beijing and Moscow.
Francis arrived yesterday morning following a nine-hour journey from Rome, greeted by a line of Mongolian honor guards in traditional blue, red and yellow attire upon his arrival, along with Mongolian Minister of Foreign Affairs Batmunkh Battsetseg.
Photo: AP
He then headed to the home of Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the Catholic Church’s youngest Cardinal, where children waving the flags of Mongolia and the Vatican chanted: “Long live the pope.”
Local children sang songs about “Mongolian happiness” as they waited for the pope, with lyrics declaring: “Mongolia is full of freedom, peace, joy and a bright future.”
Sister Aleth Evangelista said she and her fellow nuns felt “very blessed and fortunate to welcome the pope in this country.”
“Mongolia is a non-Christian country, most of the people are Buddhist and Shamanist, but the pope is here to foster peace and communion among all people,” she said.
The voyage is Francis’ second to the region in a year after a trip to Kazakhstan in September last year, underscoring the geopolitical importance of the sensitive area.
The pontiff told journalists aboard the papal plane that the vast, sparsely populated country of Mongolia was one that “can be understood with the senses.”
Asked by a journalist whether he found diplomacy difficult, the pope answered: “Sometimes you need a sense of humor.”
The visit — Francis’ 43rd voyage in his decade as head of the Catholic Church — is also crucial in keeping the door open for improved Vatican ties with Beijing and Moscow, which have yet to offer the pope an invitation.
The Holy See last year renewed a controversial deal with China on the thorny issue of bishop appointments, and Francis has sought to broker an end to the war in Ukraine with Russia.
As the plane passed over Chinese airspace, the pontiff, following custom, sent a telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), bearing “greetings of good wishes” to him and the Chinese people.
“Assuring you of my prayers for the well-being of the nation, I invoke upon all of you the divine blessings of unity and peace,” he wrote.
Beijing said that it was keen to “strengthen mutual trust” with the Vatican and that the pope’s words “reflect friendship and goodwill.”
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