ULAANBAATAR -- Pope Francis celebrated Mongolia’s rich and ancient culture Saturday during the first papal visit to the country, while
ULAANBAATAR — Pope Francis celebrated Mongolia’s rich and ancient culture Saturday during the first papal visit to the country, while warning the young democracy of risks from corruption and destruction of the environment.Meanwhile, Taiwan said on Saturday it supported the efforts of the Vatican to reach out to Beijing and hoped the move would improve China’s “deteriorating religious freedom and human rights issue”.
“Our country fully respects religious freedom and supports the Holy See’s continuous attempts to engage in dialogue with China to resolve the Catholic Church’s religious issues in China,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. He also warned that corruption was “the fruit of a utilitarian and unscrupulous mentality that has impoverished whole countries”.
Anticipating the pope’s arrival in the vast Sukhbaatar Plaza, named for a Mongol revolutionary hero, were droves of pilgrims who had ventured from other Asian countries for a chance to catch a glimpse of the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. The pontiff’s visit will provide a boost to Mongolia’s Catholics, a group that numbers about 1,400 — including just 25 priests and 33 nuns.
The voyage — Francis’ 43rd since ascending to the papacy in 2013 — is seen as a shrewd diplomatic move that brings him to the doorstep of Beijing and Moscow, in hopes of improving frosty ties with each.The Holy See last year renewed a controversial deal with China that allows both sides a say in appointing bishops in China, a move critics have called a dangerous concession by the Vatican to Beijing in exchange for a presence in the country.
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