The Pope asks Chinese Catholics from Mongolia to be “good citizens”

He Pope Francisco called on Chinese Catholics this Sunday to be “good citizens” at the end of a mass during his visit to Mongoliaa move that he took advantage of to seek an improvement in the links between The Vatican and China.

The Argentine Jesuit -accompanied by the Bishop of Hong Kong, Stephen Chowand the archbishop emeritus, cardinal john tong hon– Sended a “warm greetings to the noble Chinese people”.

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“To Chinese Catholics, I ask you to be good Christians and good citizens.the 86-year-old pope said, in a statement on the sidelines of his official speeches.

With this first papal trip to Mongoliaa country of Central Asia between Russia and ChinaFrancisco sought two objectives: to reach an isolated region where Catholicism is very minority and to take advantage of the geographical proximity with China to improve relations with Beijing.

Pope Francis officiated a mass this Sunday in an ice hockey stadium in the capital, Ulaanbaatarto show their support for the small community of 1,400 Catholics in Mongolia, a predominantly Buddhist country of three million people.

The pope was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd and toured the stadium in a small vehicle escorted by the Italian missionary Giorgio Marengowho at 49 is the youngest cardinal in the world and acts as representative of the apostolic prefecture of Ulaanbaatar.

He then wheeled onto the stage to preside over the liturgy under a gigantic wooden cross placed especially for the ceremony.

The end of the mass shouted the word thank you in Mongolian “bayarlala!”.

In a meeting on Saturday with Catholic missionaries, Francis affirmed that governments “They have nothing to fear from the work of evangelization of the Church, because it does not have a political agenda”, without making a direct mention of China, a state with which the Vatican does not have diplomatic relations.

A “difficult” journey

Many Chinese pilgrims traveled to see the pope, despite the risks of reprisals on their return.

Was “pretty hard to come here”, told AFP a Chinese citizen who attended the mass on Sunday, who asked not to divulge her identity.

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According to the woman, the two people who organized her group’s pilgrimage to see the pope were detained in China.

“I am ashamed to wave the national flagfrom China, he said. “But I have to pick her up and let the Pope know how hard it is for us.”, he explained.

On Sunday morning, Francis met with representatives of other Mongolian religions at the Hun Theaterwhich has the structure of a traditional yurt.

The meeting was attended by Christian leaders and representatives of the buddhism, shamanism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduismthe russian orthodox churchthe mormons and bahai.

“Religious traditions, with all their distinctiveness and diversity, have impressive potential to benefit society.”, declared the pontiff.

Natsagdorj Damdinsurenwho runs a Mongolian Buddhist monastery, said Francis’ visit “demonstrates the solidarity of humanity”.

“Friendship Pilgrim”

Nomin Batbayaran 18-year-old Mongolian student who attended the mass celebrated by the pope, celebrated Francis’ call for interreligious dialogue.

“I feel that he is a really authentic person“, he claimed. “China doesn’t really support him, but his people are here today”, he said, referring to the Chinese pilgrims who traveled to Mongolia.

At the liturgy, a Chinese woman said she felt “blessed” to see the dad. “Having our own religion does not mean that we are against our country”, he defended.

The Holy See last year renewed an agreement with Beijing that allows the two parties to have a say in the appointment of bishops in China. Some critics describe it as a dangerous concession by the Vatican, in exchange for maintaining its presence in the country.

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Francis was officially received by the Mongolian authorities on Saturday in the huge square sukhbaatar. The pope defined himself as a “pilgrim of friendship” and praised the “wisdom” and the rich and ancient culture of the country, where ranchers and farmers are “respectful of the delicate balances of the ecosystem”.

He also denounced thethreat of corruptionwhich poses a serious danger to the development of any human community”.

The pope will end his visit to Mongolia on Monday at noon.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.