Under One Roof
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The entire Catholic population of Mongolia gather under one roof for papal mass Pope says Vatican has no political agenda to advance
Pope Francis and just about the entire Catholic population of a country were in the same room when he presided at a Mass in Mongolia’s capital in an unprecedented event, Sunday.
The Pope’s trip to Mongolia was the first such visit by the head of the Catholic Church in history.
The Mass in Ulaanbaatar’s Steppe Arena was the religious highlight of the pope’s trip to visit the Catholic community of just 1,450. Most of Mongolia’s population of about 3.3 million are Buddhists.
Pope Francis attends the Holy Mass in the Steppe Arena, during his Apostolic Journey in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Most of Mongolia’s nine parishes are in the capital, but one in a remote area has only about 30 members and Church officials said they expected everyone who could make it to attend.
Many Mongolians still live a nomadic tradition to graze their animals and in his homily, the pope used the image to make his point.
“All of us are God’s nomads, pilgrims in search of happiness, wayfarers thirsting for love,” he said, adding that the Christian faith quenched that thirst.
Several Buddhist monks in their saffron robes attended the Mass, which was conducted in Mongolian, English and Italian.
Francis, who leaves for Rome on Monday after inaugurating a Church charity and health centre, began his day at an inter-religious service where he called himself one of the “humble heirs” of ancient schools of wisdom and quoted the Buddha.
Sharing a theatre stage with a dozen other religious representatives, he urged all religions to live in harmony and shun ideological fundamentalism that foments violence.
The inter-religious meeting was attended by leaders representing Mongolian Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, evangelical and Orthodox Christians, Mormons, Hindus, Shintos, Bahais and shamans.
Francis, 86, quoted from a writings of the Buddha that says “the wise man rejoices in giving”, noting it was similar to Jesus’ saying “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.
Conservative Catholics, such as Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan, have lambasted the pope for attending such gatherings, calling them “a supermarket of religions” that diminishes the status of the Catholic Church.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan
But the pope repeated that he put great importance in “ecumenical, inter-religious and cultural dialogue”. He said dialogue did not mean “to gloss over difference” but to seek understanding and enrichment.
He condemned “narrowness, unilateral imposition, fundamentalism and ideological constraint”, saying they destroy fraternity, fuel tensions and compromise peace.
“There can be no mixing, then, of religious beliefs and violence, of holiness and oppression, of religious traditions and sectarianism,” Francis said.
“This is a very important, meaningful meeting,” said one of the attendees, Buddhist Monk Altankhuu Tserenjav of the Zuun Khuree Dashichoiling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.
“He is a religious leader of the world, for us like a Dalai Lama, so I really respect and welcome him,” he said.
Mongolia has seen a revival of Tibetan Buddhism since the collapse of the Soviet-backed Communist government in 1990, and the Dalai Lama is regarded as its main spiritual leader.
However, China has repeatedly put pressure on Mongolia not to allow the 88-year-old exiled Tibetan leader to visit, branding him a dangerous separatist.
Speaking to clergy and lay workers in Ulaanbaatar on Saturday, the pontiff insisted that the Catholic Church’s mission is not a political one.
“For this reason, governments and secular institutions have nothing to fear from the Church’s work of evangelization, for she has no political agenda to advance, but is sustained by the quiet power of God’s grace and a message of mercy and truth, which is meant to promote the good of all,” he said, with Reuters noting that these comments were likely aimed at China rather than Mongolia, where the church enjoys friendly relations with the government.
While China is officially an atheist state, Catholicism is one of five major religions recognized by the ruling Communist Party. Relations between church and state are often tense, however. Religious schooling is heavily restricted, churches must report donations, and the government oversees clerical appointments.
The Vatican reached a deal with Beijing in 2018 giving the Pope the final say over the appointment of bishops, but the Holy See has accused the Chinese authorities of violating the agreement on two occasions.
Diplomats told Reuters in July that Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai could serve as a mediator between Beijing and the Vatican.
Pope Francis also met with Hong Kong Archbishop Stephen Chow, who told reporters afterwards that the city’s church could be a “bridge church” with mainland China.
Although the Pope insisted that his church “has no political agenda to advance,” the pontiff is a regular commentator on international affairs, and is reportedly working on a peace plan aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Source Vatican News Agency/Reuters/RT
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