Pope Francis on Saturday praised “the wisdom” of Mongolia, many of whose residents have lived in harmony with nature for centuries, while calling for more to be done to protect the environment in this Asian country accustomed to pollution.
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The 86-year-old Pope called for an “urgent and now indispensable commitment to protecting planet Earth.”
Mongolia is one of the largest coal exporters and the air in its capital Ulaanbaatar is regularly among the most polluted in the world.
Large parts of the country are also at risk of desertification due to climate change, overgrazing and mining.
The pope also castigated corruption before the leaders of Mongolia, where a major scandal in the mining industry sparked major protests in December.
AFP
Corruption “poses a serious threat to the development of every human group and feeds on a utilitarian and unscrupulous mentality that impoverishes entire countries,” Francis warned.
Arriving in Ulaanbaatar the day before, the Argentine pope met there on Saturday with the modest Catholic community of this predominantly Buddhist country.
His journey is being followed passionately by many pilgrims from other Asian countries who have made their way to Mongolia to try to see the head of the Catholic Church of 1.3 billion believers.
“A wonderful person”
In the vast Sukhbaatar Square, which houses the heart of Mongol power, more than a thousand loyal and curious people awaited his arrival.
“I’m not Catholic, but […] I wanted to see it in person. He seems like a great person,” smiles Enkhtur Dagvadorj, a Mongolian who says he is “very happy.”
In the front row, behind a police cordon, was Galina Kruutilina, 62, who had traveled from Moscow with a friend to visit the Pope.
“We arrived by train an hour ago,” this Orthodox Russian woman, wearing a gold cross around her neck, told AFP.
AFP
After more than 6,000 kilometers of travel, “we are here because God is up on the mountain,” emphasizes Ms. Kruutilina. “But there are many ways to get there.”
“It’s like we’re seeing Jesus,” said a Chinese tourist who came in a group, “specifically to see the Pope.”
“Many Catholics in China wanted to come but couldn’t. We are blessed,” he told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Religion remains a sensitive issue in China. The ruling Communist Party is wary of any organization, especially religious ones, that could threaten its authority.
China has long been suspicious of the Vatican because of its potential political influence over Chinese Catholics, and China does not have diplomatic relations with the small state.
Mass in an arena
“We have to hold back and, above all, not say that we are there for the Pope. At customs we were asked if we were Catholic and told we were on a sightseeing tour,” admits a Chinese woman who also prefers to keep her name secret.
To avoid being identified, many Chinese people cover their heads and hide their faces behind a surgical mask and sunglasses.
AFP
Francis will meet at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, whose circular nave is reminiscent of the yurt of Mongolia’s nomads, the country’s small Catholic community. There are only 25 priests and 33 nuns, including only two Mongolians.
On Sunday, the Jesuit pope will address an interreligious meeting to which the rector of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ulaanbaatar is expected with a delegation, and then preside over a mass at a newly built ice hockey arena.
The Pope’s trip to Mongolia is a gesture of support for the small community of Catholics, which numbers around 1,400 believers in a population of more than three million.
It is also a test for the pope, who continues to travel extensively despite suffering from an abdominal hernia operated on in June and knee pain that forces him to use a wheelchair.