EPA The pope in the Mongolian capital of Ulanbaatar
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 16:10
Pope Francis has led Sunday Mass in Mongolia for a large portion of the country’s Catholics. Hundreds of worshipers gathered in the Steppe Arena in the capital Ulaanbaatar, where ice hockey is normally played. Of the more than 3.3 million Mongols, an estimated 1450 are Catholic.
Francis is the first pope ever to visit Mongolia. The visit also aims to improve relations between the church and China. The bishop of Hong Kong and about 40 other Chinese attended Mass, and the pope called on Catholics in China to be “good Christians and good citizens”.
Greetings to China
“I would like to take the opportunity to send my warmest regards to the noble Chinese,” the pope said at the end of the mass. “I wish all Chinese people well.” Francis said yesterday that the Catholic Church has no political agenda. He seemed to be directing that message to China. Secular authorities therefore have nothing to fear from the church, the pope said.
The pope arrived on Friday for a four-day visit to the predominantly Buddhist country. He was warmly welcomed:
Pope’s first visit to Mongolia: ‘Waited so long’
Vatican correspondent Andrea Vreede previously said of the visit:
“Since the beginning of his papacy in 2013, Francis has not chosen obvious destinations for his travels. He goes to areas where Catholics are in the minority or even oppressed. For example, he has been in Iraq, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, South Sudan and Azerbaijan.
It is one of Francis’ deepest wishes to visit China. A personal wish, because as a Jesuit he belongs to the order that sent the first missionaries to China in the 16th and 17th centuries. But certainly also a political wish, since there could be many opportunities for the Roman Catholic Church in the huge China. It now has to operate mainly underground and is opposed by the Chinese government.”
2023-09-03 14:10:58
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