Pope Francis lands in Mongolia, home to a small Catholic flock

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday to greet his small Catholic contingent, having earlier sent a blessing of “unity and peace” from his plane to China, with which the Vatican He has had difficult relationships.

The 86-year-old pontiff, whose health has become more fragile in recent years, he arrived at Ulaanbaatar airport on a chartered plane by ITA Airways with his large entourage and accompanying journalists.

Seated in a wheelchair, Francis was pushed between rows of Mongolian guards wearing ornate blue and red uniforms and brandishing rifles after leaving the plane. He then exchanged a few handshakes before getting into a car and being taken away.

His first event in Mongolia, a predominantly Buddhist country with just 1,450 Catholics, will be on Saturday, when he will address government leaders and the diplomatic corps.

Visiting places where Catholics are a minority is part of Francis’ policy of drawing attention to people and problems in what he has called the peripheries of society and the world. He has not visited most of the Western European capitals.

As usual, Francis greeted all the countries he flew over on his way to Mongolia, including China, with which the Vatican has had difficult relationships.

“I send greetings and good wishes to Your Excellency and the people of China,” the Pope said in the telegram addressed to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Assuring you of my prayers for the welfare of the nation, I invoke upon all of you the divine blessings of unity and peace.”

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Relations between the officially atheist leadership of the Communist Party of China and the Vatican have been tense for decades.

The Holy See has full diplomatic relations with Taiwan, while China’s Catholics have long been divided between a state-backed official church and an underground flock loyal to the pope.

Mongolia was part of China until 1921 and has political and economic ties to Beijing.

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.