Pope Francis to Make Historic Visit to Mongolia – A Growing but Small Catholic Community Awaits

(Vatican News Network) Pope Francis will visit Mongolia from August 31 to September 4 this year for his 43rd international pastoral journey. Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, announced the news on June 3, stating that the pope had been invited by Mongolia’s “civil and ecclesiastical authorities”. As for the trip, “plans and details will be announced in the next few weeks.”

The Republic of Mongolia has a vast territory, but due to its cold climate and sparse population, it ranks second among the least populated countries. Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed his desire to visit this country. He spoke of this possibility to reporters on February 5 this year on his return trip from a visit to South Sudan. On April 14, the Pope also said in a conversation with the staff of Alitalia that he was going to Hungary, “then Marseille, and Mongolia”.

There are less than 2,000 Catholics in Mongolia, but this “little flock” is very active, silently witnessing in a spirit of fraternity. This ecclesiastical group was founded in 1992. The first missionaries to arrive were members of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Among them was Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, who was the head of the order’s mission in Mongolia and later became Ulan Barto’s first apostolic prefect until his death in 2018.

In 2003, members of the Missionaries of the Consolation of Our Lady arrived in Mongolia and mainly preached the gospel in Albakhre, a city in the south-central part of the country. There are currently 77 missionaries in Mongolia, including priests, nuns and lay people. Father Giorgio Marengo of the congregation was appointed apostolic vicar of Ulaanbaatar by the Pope in 2020 and was promoted to cardinal in 2022. Last year, the local church held a Mass at the tomb of Bishop Huang Xudong to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the presence of the Catholic Church in Mongolia after the end of communism.

Although Mongolia has been an atheist country for decades, Buddhism is still the main religion in the country, and more than 30% of its citizens describe themselves as atheists. Cardinal Marengo once talked to this news website about the situation of “two Mongolias”. One is the advanced, high-tech capital with urban life style and modern buildings, and the “remaining” is the vast remote villages, relying on farming. , vast pastures, and a long tradition for a living, but very poor, one-third of the nationals live below the poverty line.

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