Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday, beginning the first papal visit to the vast Asian nation landlocked between China
The 86-year-old pontiff’s trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for the tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400.
Asked by a journalist whether he found diplomacy difficult, the pope answered: “Yes, you don’t know how difficult it is.The nine-hour flight passed over Chinese airspace and the pontiff, following custom, sent a telegram to President Xi Jinping, bearing “greetings of good wishes” to him and the Chinese people.
“This is a clear effort of the Holy See to take care of Central Asia and not abandon it to Russia or China,” Michel Chambon, a scholar of Catholicism in Asia, told AFP. He will meet the Catholic community — which includes just 25 priests and 33 nuns, only two of them Mongolian — later Saturday in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Its circular nave resembles a “ger”, the Mongolian nomads’ traditional tent dwelling.
That makes Mongolia potentially helpful for Vatican relations with both Beijing and Moscow. The Holy See last year renewed a deal on the thorny issue of bishop appointments with China, and Francis has sought to broker an end to the war in Ukraine with Russia.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pope arrives in Mongolia to back tiny Catholic presence on China's doorstepULAANBAATAR, Mongolia -- Pope Francis arrived Friday in Mongolia, beginning the first papal visit to the vast Asian nation landlocked between China and Russia.
Read more »
With China on his mind, Pope visits tiny Catholic flock in MongoliaThe chartered ITA Airways plane carrying the Pope was due to fly over China for about an hour before crossing into Mongolia
Read more »
With China on his mind, Pope visits tiny Catholic flock in MongoliaThe chartered ITA Airways plane carrying the Pope was due to fly over China for about an hour before crossing into Mongolia
Read more »
Pope Francis lands in Mongolia, home to tiny Catholic flockVisiting places where Catholics are a minority is part of Francis's policy of drawing attention to people and problems in what he has called the peripheries of society and of the world
Read more »
Pope to publish updated climate thesis on October 4VATICAN CITY, Holy See - Pope Francis revealed Wednesday he will publish an update to his seminal 2015 thesis on the environment in October, just weeks before the next round of UN climate talks.
Read more »
Pope to publish updated climate thesis on October 4VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis revealed Wednesday he will publish an update to his seminal 2015 thesis on the environment in October, just weeks before the next round of UN climate talks.
Read more »