ULAANBAATAR — Pope Francis celebrated Mongolia’s rich and ancient culture Saturday during the first papal visit to the country, while warning the young democracy of risks from corruption and destruction of the environment.
The 86-year-old Jesuit was feted in the morning with an official welcome ceremony and honor guard.
Meanwhile, Taiwan said on Saturday it supported the efforts of the Vatican to reach out to Beijing and hoped the move would improve China’s “deteriorating religious freedom and human rights issue”.
Pope Francis is currently in Mongolia on a state visit. As his papal plane passed over China’s airspace, the pontiff sent a customary telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping bearing “greetings of good wishes”.
The Holy See is Taipei’s only diplomatic ally in Europe and does not have official ties with Beijing, which views self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary.
“Our country fully respects religious freedom and supports the Holy See’s continuous attempts to engage in dialogue with China to resolve the Catholic Church’s religious issues in China,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We hope that Vatican-China exchanges will help improve China’s deteriorating religious freedom and human rights issues and realize the ideal of religious liberalization in China.”
President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, wearing a traditional “deel” tunic, descended a long line of red carpeted steps in front of a massive bronze statue of Genghis Khan to greet the pope.
The pontiff then addressed Mongolian dignitaries including the president inside the State Palace.
Praising the country’s “ranchers and planters respectful of the delicate balances of the ecosystem”, he said Mongolia’s tradition of living in harmony with nature and its creatures “can contribute significantly to the urgent and no longer deferrable efforts to protect and preserve planet Earth”.
He also warned that corruption was “the fruit of a utilitarian and unscrupulous mentality that has impoverished whole countries”.
Religions can “represent a safeguard against the insidious threat of corruption, which effectively represents a serious menace to the development of any human community”, he said.
Mongolia has been marred by corruption and environmental degradation in recent years, with its capital suffering from some of the world’s worst air quality and a scandal over embezzlement sparking protests last year.
Anticipating the pope’s arrival in the vast Sukhbaatar Plaza, named for a Mongol revolutionary hero, were droves of pilgrims who had ventured from other Asian countries for a chance to catch a glimpse of the leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.
In the front row behind a police cordon stood Galina Krutilina, 62, who traveled from Moscow with a friend to see the pope and visit Russia’s neighbor.
“We arrived one hour ago by train,” the Russian Orthodox Christian said in halting English, displaying a gold cross around her neck.
“We are here because at the top of the mountain is God. But there are many roads to the top.”
A group of young Mongolian Catholics stood behind a phalanx of international media, shouting “Viva il Papa!”
The pontiff’s visit will provide a boost to Mongolia’s Catholics, a group that numbers about 1,400 — including just 25 priests and 33 nuns.
At the same time, he is expected to encourage the young democracy to stand by its ideals even as it sits sandwiched between two massive authoritarian powers.
– China’s doorstep –
Francis arrived Friday morning, greeted by a line of honour guards dressed in traditional blue, red and yellow, and headed to the home of Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the Church’s youngest Cardinal, for a day of rest.
Along the route, children waved Mongolian and Vatican flags while singing songs about “Mongolian happiness”.
The voyage — Francis’ 43rd since ascending to the papacy in 2013 — is seen as a shrewd diplomatic move that brings him to the doorstep of Beijing and Moscow, in hopes of improving frosty ties with each.
Neither government has extended an invitation for the pope to visit their countries.
The Holy See last year renewed a controversial deal with China that allows both sides a say in appointing bishops in China, a move critics have called a dangerous concession by the Vatican to Beijing in exchange for a presence in the country.
Beijing’s Communist Party is officially atheist and exercises strict control over all recognised religious institutions, including vetting sermons and choosing bishops.
Some Chinese visitors did make to Mongolia for the trip, with one telling AFP they came “specifically to see the Pope”.
“To us, if we see him, it’ll basically be like seeing Jesus,” the visitor said.
“We are super happy to be here, there are a lot of Catholics in China who wanted to come, but they couldn’t make it. So we feel quite blessed.”
The short, five-day trip is also a stamina test for the pope, who underwent a hernia operation in June and whose continued knee pain has forced him to rely on a wheelchair.
On Sunday, the pope will lead an interreligious meeting for all faiths and conduct mass inside a newly built ice hockey arena, where pilgrims from countries including China, Russia, South Korea and Kazakhstan are expected to attend.