/ world right now information/ Not too long ago, Pope Francis, at a really superior age, determined to take a nine-hour flight from the Vatican to Mongolia, a rustic that has one of many smallest Catholic communities (about 1,400 individuals). Of the 25 Catholic clergymen who serve there, solely two are Mongolian. Apparently, the “profession” of probably the most promising youngest (45-year-old) Cardinal of the Holy See, Giorgio Marengo, is carefully related with Mongolia.
The Pope arrived in Ulaanbaatar on September 1 and stayed for 5 days. The Pope’s packed schedule included conferences with officers, together with President Ukhnaagiin Hurelsuh, diplomats, clergymen and missionaries. The central occasion of the go to was his mass on the Step Area indoor hockey area in Ulaanbaatar, the place, along with the Mongolian trustworthy, there have been Catholics from China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Russia and Vietnam.
It have to be acknowledged that even right now the extent of religiosity among the many inhabitants of Mongolia stays low. This additionally applies to Tibetan Buddhism, a standard faith for these locations. The query arises, what had been the aims of this go to?
Had been they motivated by the will to convey the message of the Vatican to a individuals residing on the “crossroads” of two nice powers and on the identical time remoted from the Catholic world? Or are we speaking about conventional “Vatican diplomacy” that includes fixing broader issues on a regional and even international scale? It is extra seemingly the second.
In his speeches in the course of the go to, the pontiff all of a sudden remembered the instances of the Mongol Empire – Pax Mongolica, when, in line with him, the world was organized very harmoniously. “And right now such a mannequin must be evaluated and provided once more. Mongolia will not be solely a democratic nation pursuing a peaceable international coverage, but additionally strives to play an essential position in guaranteeing peace all through the world.” . It may be assumed that this can be a name for a extra energetic international coverage of Mongolia.
However Mongolia no longer solely has an energetic, but additionally a moderately multidirectional coverage. Mongolia’s diplomacy is sometimes called the “Third Neighbor Coverage”. This implies that, within the context of its geographical proximity to 2 nice powers, the nation actively interacts with extra-regional gamers, primarily america. Mongolia and america established diplomatic relations in 1987, and the international locations cooperate very actively on strategic points. On the identical time, Mongolia is notably considered one of NATO’s “international companions,” together with official US allies reminiscent of Australia, Japan, and South Korea. So the presence of a sure bias of Ulaanbaatar in the direction of the West is apparent.
As well as, Mongolia additionally maintains very shut relations with South Korea and Japan. By the way in which, amongst nationalist-oriented specialists and politicians in Japan, the concept the roots of the Japanese nation have to be sought someplace within the Mongolian steppes could be very common. Though ethnographers probably don’t share this view, philologists level to similarities within the Japanese and Mongolian languages.
The international ministers of the 2 international locations agreed to advertise the idea of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Area” in October 2020. Then Toshimitsu Motegi visited Mongolia, the go to really turned “compensation” for the cancellation of Mike Pompeo’s journey to Ulaanbaatar because of the analysis of Covid-19 within the then head of the White Home.
As for Mongolia’s direct ties with the Vatican, the nation beforehand actively accepted help from constructions associated to the Holy See within the implementation of improvement packages, specifically progressive agricultural tasks, with the purpose of diversifying Mongolia’s agricultural sector. (Now the premise of this sector of the economic system is nomadic cattle breeding).
However on the identical time tasks with a human rights part had been promoted by the Vatican, affecting, for instance, the standing of ladies. These packages had been sponsored by the European Union and European-based Catholic organizations. Such packages didn’t declare the unfold of the Catholic faith as their objective, however aimed toward modifications within the conventional foundations of Mongolian society.
The “Third Neighbor Coverage” causes some dissatisfaction on the a part of China. Specifically, Mongolia’s Prime Minister Oyun-Erden Luvsannamsrayna, throughout a go to in early August this yr, stated that Mongolia sees its financial future with the West, and China and Russia are its everlasting neighbors. Nonetheless, the fact is that the nation’s economic system is supported exactly by the ties with its two “everlasting neighbors”. Subsequently, such statements increase many sensible inquiries to which the Mongolian management must search solutions.
Mongolia additionally maintains contacts with the DPRK. It’s potential that because of this the Vatican considers Ulaanbaatar a “helpful platform” for its diplomacy. The present Pope has outlined the worldwide, supranational nature of the exercise of the Holy See. He understands that Europe has already ceased to be a key Christian area, different international locations overtake it within the variety of Catholics (solely 4 European international locations are within the high ten international locations within the variety of Catholics on the planet, and they aren’t even represented within the high 5).
The Vatican is thought to have a tough dialogue with Beijing over the appointment of bishops, and Pope Francis can also be searching for to grow to be one other mediator to finish the battle in Ukraine. A yr in the past, he visited Kazakhstan, the place he took half within the Congress of Leaders of World and Conventional Religions; there, it’s believed, the pontiff hoped to fulfill Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
However the Russian Orthodox Church was represented at this occasion by an official delegation and this assembly didn’t happen. On the identical time, there was an official go to to Kazakhstan by the Chinese language chief, who, nevertheless, refused to fulfill with the top of the Holy See.
Pope Francis’ go to to Ulaanbaatar, nevertheless, is probably primarily associated to the state of affairs in Mongolia itself, the place financial and different issues have worsened. Till lately, Mongolia was thought-about a profitable instance of the socio-economic adaptation of a rustic that had shut financial ties with the USSR to the realities that arose after the collapse of the socialist system.
Within the West, it’s seen as a “mannequin” for the international locations of the Central Asian 5. The agricultural nation skilled vital financial development linked to the event of the mining sector. On the identical time, the energetic improvement of mineral deposits, mixed with international warming, led to the desertification of pastures, the loss of life of livestock and, as a consequence, the destruction of the life-style of pastoralists, who had been pressured emigrate to the capital, the place they’d severe difficulties to adapt to metropolis life. As well as, one of many penalties of the export of vitality carriers was the development growth, which turned one of many causes for the looks of such a brand new phenomenon for the inhabitants of Mongolia as corruption.
Final December there have been protests due to a corruption scandal within the coal business, excessive inflation and different adverse processes within the economic system. There are indicators that Mongolian pro-Western elites are discovering it more and more tough to promote their individuals on the advantages of so-called diplomacy. “third neighbor”.
On the identical time, the nation’s authorities, regardless of receiving numerous sorts of help from constructions related to the Vatican, proceed to deal with the actions of the Catholic Church on their territory with palpable mistrust, which is manifested, for instance, within the issuance of short-term visas and different bureaucratic restrictions.
Since his accession to the chair of St. Peter, Francis has continuously drawn consideration to the “cry of the Earth” – a name to consider the ecology of the planet. This has a direct bearing on Mongolia, which, as talked about above, is dealing with an environmental disaster that would have an effect on total ecosystems in Europe and Asia.
As Mongolians like to recollect, their homeland is the second lung of the planet. Whereas the Amazon rainforest is essential to absorbing international carbon dioxide emissions, Central Asia shops water that irrigates the remainder of Asia. Mongolia, specifically, occupies six totally different ecological zones that lie on the crossroads of Europe and Asia.
It isn’t but solely clear whether or not the voice of the Holy See can be heard on this a part of the planet.
On the identical time, a severe vulnerability in Mongolia’s relations with Washington and with Western international locations basically is the dearth of an financial part in them. The low commerce turnover is aggravated by unfriendly protectionist actions, for instance in relation to Mongolian cashmere.
Translation: ES
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