- In Mongolia there are only 1,450 Catholics out of a population of 3.3 million
- Pope praised religious freedom in Mongolia
- Many Mongolians still live in a nomadic tradition
- “We are all God’s nomads,” Pope said
ULAANBAATAR, Sept 3 (Portal) – In an unprecedented event, Pope Francis and nearly the entire Catholic population of a country sat in the same room on Sunday as he presided over a mass in Mongolia’s capital.
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 people – believed to be the smallest per capita in the world out of a Mongolian population of about 3.3 million, most of whom are Buddhists are.
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 take part.
Many Mongolians still live in the nomadic tradition of grazing their animals, and in his homily the pope used the image to make his point.
“We are all nomads of God, pilgrims in search of happiness, wanderers thirsting for love,” he said, adding that the Christian faith quenches this thirst.
Several Buddhist monks in their saffron robes attended the mass, which was held in Mongolian, English and Italian.
Francis, who leaves for Rome on Monday after opening a church charity and health center, began his penultimate day in Mongolia with an interfaith service in which he described himself as one of the “humble heirs” of ancient schools of wisdom and quoted the Buddha .
There he shared a theater stage with a dozen other religious leaders and called on all religions to live in harmony and shun ideological fundamentalism that fuels violence.
Since the beginning of the trip, Francis has praised religious freedom in Mongolia. The landlocked country borders China, which human rights groups say represses religious freedom and has difficult relations with the Vatican.
“Religions are called to offer the world that harmony that technological progress alone cannot give,” Francis said after hearing speeches from leaders who included Mongolian Buddhists, Muslims, Evangelicals, Jews, Orthodox, Mormons, Hindus, Shintos , Baha’is and shamans represented.
“Brothers and sisters, today we meet as humble heirs of ancient schools of wisdom. As we meet with each other, we want to share the great treasure we have received to enrich a humanity so often misled. “The journey goes through the short-sighted pursuit of profit and material comfort,” he said.
Francis quoted from a writing by Buddha that says, “The wise man delights in giving,” noting that this was similar to Jesus’ saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
CONSERVATIVE CRITICISM
Conservative Catholics such as Kazakh Bishop Athanasius Schneider have sharply criticized the pope for his participation in such gatherings, calling them a “supermarket of religions” that diminishes the status of the Catholic Church.
However, the Pope reiterated that he places great value on “ecumenical, interreligious and cultural dialogue.” He said dialogue does not mean “glossing over differences” but striving for understanding and enrichment.
He condemned “small-mindedness, one-sided constraints, fundamentalism and ideological constraints,” saying they destroy brotherhood, inflame tensions and endanger peace.
“So there can be no mixing of religious faith and violence, of holiness and oppression, of religious traditions and sectarianism,” Francis said.
“This is a very important and meaningful meeting,” said one of the participants, Buddhist monk Altanchuu Tserenjav from Zuun Khuree Dashichoiling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.
“He is a world religious leader, like a Dalai Lama for us, so I really respect and welcome him,” he said.
Since the collapse of the Soviet-backed communist government in 1990, Mongolia has seen a revival of Tibetan Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama is considered its most important spiritual leader.
However, China has repeatedly pressured Mongolia not to allow the 88-year-old exiled Tibetan leader to visit, branding him a dangerous separatist.
Reporting by Philip Pullella; Edited by Lincoln Feast, Edwina Gibbs and William Mallard
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