Pope Francis and Mongolian Catholics under one roof at the papal mass

ULAANBAATAR, Sept 3 (Reuters) – In an unprecedented event, Pope Francis and almost the entire Catholic population of a country were in the same room on Sunday when he presided over a mass in the Mongolian capital.

The mass at 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 world’s smallest per capita out of a Mongolian population of around 3.3 Millions, most of them Buddhists.

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 all who could to attend.

Many Mongolians still live a nomadic tradition of herding their animals and in his homily, the Pope used the image to get his point across.

“All of us are God’s nomads, pilgrims in search of happiness, travelers thirsty for love,” he said, adding that the Christian faith quenched that thirst.

Several Buddhist monks in saffron robes attended the mass, which was celebrated in Mongolian, English and Italian.

Francis, who will leave for Rome on Monday after inaugurating a Church health and charity center, began his penultimate day in Mongolia with an interfaith service in which he called himself one of the “humble heirs” of the ancient schools. of wisdom and quoted Buddha.

There, sharing the stage with a dozen other religious representatives, he urged all religions to live in harmony and avoid ideological fundamentalism that fosters violence.

Since the trip began, Francis has praised religious freedom in Mongolia. The landlocked country borders China, which rights groups say suppresses religious freedom and has difficult relations with the Vatican.

“Religions are called to offer the world this harmony that technological progress alone cannot provide,” Francis said after listening to speeches by leaders representing Buddhists, Muslims, Evangelicals, Jews, Orthodox, Mormons, Hindus, Shinto , Baha’is and Mongolian shamans.

“Brothers and sisters, today we meet as humble heirs of ancient schools of wisdom. In our mutual encounter, we want to share the great treasure we have received, for the sake of enriching a humanity so often misled. its journey in the myopic pursuit of profit and material comfort,” he said.

Francis cited a writing by Buddha that says “the wise man rejoices in giving,” noting that it was similar to Jesus’ saying: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

CONSERVATIVE CRITICISM

Conservative Catholics, like Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan, have lashed out the Pope for attending such gatherings, calling them “a supermarket of religions” that diminishes the status of the Catholic Church.

But the Pope reiterated that he attaches great importance to “ecumenical, interreligious and cultural dialogue.” He said that dialogue does not mean “overlooking differences” but seeking understanding and enrichment.

He condemned “narrowness, unilateral imposition, fundamentalism and ideological restraint”, saying that they destroy brotherhood, fuel tensions and compromise peace.

“There cannot be, then, a mixture of religious beliefs and violence, of holiness and oppression, of religious traditions and sectarianism,” Francis said.

“This is a very important and significant meeting,” said one of the attendees, Buddhist monk Altankhuu Tserenjav from Zuun Khuree Dashichoiling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.

“He is a religious leader of the world, to us as a Dalai Lama, so I really respect him 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 considered its main 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.

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