Pope Francis has arrived in Mongolia. The plane with the Pope on board landed at the international airport in the capital Ulan BatoR. The Pope was welcomed by the Foreign Minister. After a short welcoming ceremony at the airport, he moves to the Apostolic Prefecture. Pope Francis will have no further obligations for this first day in Mongolia.
“I send well wishes to His Excellency and the Chinese people as I cross your country’s airspace en route to Mongolia. I assure you of my prayers for the well-being of the nation and invoke upon you all divine blessings of unity and unity peace. It is the text of Telegram of greeting that Pope Francis sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping during his flight.
And during his daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing wants to “get stronger.”
“mutual trust” with the Vatican. “China stands ready to continue working with the Vatican to conduct constructive dialogue.” “Improving understanding, strengthening mutual trust,” the spokesman said, adding that this “will boost the process of improving relations between the two countries.”
Hours earlier, on his departure from Rome, the Pope had also sent a farewell telegram to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. “As I prepare to leave Italy to visit a Bishop of Rome in Mongolia for the first time, to meet this noble people and small but vibrant Catholic community, I would like to address myself My thanks go to you, Mr President, and to all Italians cordial greetings, which I accompany with the hope of fruitful commitment to the common good and with prayers to God to support those who engage in solidarity initiatives.”we read in the text of the telegram.
A mural before the Pope’s visit
“Understanding Mongolia with your senses”
“Someone asked me if I was going to Mongolia, a small people in a big country. Mongolia seems to never end and the number of people is small.” It will do us good to understand this long and so great silence. It will do us good to understand not with the intellect but with the senses. It will be good to hear some music from Borodin who was able to express the greatness of Mongolia,” Pope Francis said during the flight to Mongolia, greeting accompanying journalists on the plane.
The program of the apostolic journey
The apostolic journey that will take the Pope to Mongolia from August 31 to September 4 under the motto “Hope together” is the 43rd of his pontificate and brings the states visited by Francis to 61the first pontiff to travel to the land where the myth of Genghis Khan still lives. The flights on the approximately 8,280 km long route between Rome and Ulaanbaatar are particularly long and demanding: 9.5 hours on the outward journey, 11 and 20 hours on the return journey. Six hour time zone. The program includes political-institutional, pastoral meetings with the small local Catholic community as well as interreligious meetings. During his four-day stay in Mongolia, the Pope will give five speeches, all in Italian.
The first two days are dedicated exclusively to the official welcome. After arriving at Chinggis Khaan International Airport The welcoming ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 2, at 9:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. in Italy) in Sukhbaata Squarer, at 9.30 (3.30 in Italian) the courtesy call on the President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh in the State Palace; at 10:20 a.m. (4:20 a.m. in Italian) the meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the “Ikh Mongol” room of the State Palace. Then at 11 a.m. (5 a.m. in Italian) the meeting with the President of the State Grand Hural, Mongolia’s unicameral parliament; at 11:10 a.m. (5:10 a.m. in Italy) the meeting with Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene. In the afternoon at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. Italian time) the meeting with the bishops, priests, missionaries, consecrated men and women and pastors in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
On Sunday, September 3, again in the capital Ulaan Baatar, the ecumenical and interreligious meeting in the “Hun Theater” for 10 a.m. (4 a.m. in Italy) and the Mass in the “Steppe” for 4 a.m. (10 a.m. in Italy) planned. . arena“. On Monday, September 4, the last day of the visit, the meeting with charity workers and the inauguration of the House of Mercy is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m. Italian time); the farewell ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. (5:30 p.m.). At 12:00 p.m. local time (6:00 a.m. in Italy) the Pope’s departure for Rome, with arrival in Fiumicino scheduled for 5:20 p.m.
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