Kolkata Archbishop Thomas D’Souza gives a message at the tomb of St. Teresa of Kolkata in the Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata, India, after a Mass on her feast day, Sept. 5, 2023. / Credit: Anto Akkara Kolkata, India, Sep 6, 2023 / 09:57 am (CNA). The Sept. 5 feast of St. Teresa of Kolkata — better known as Mother Teresa — was celebrated in a simple and somber manner at the Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata, India, with hundreds of Christians and non-Christians thronging to her tomb throughout the day.After the solemn 6 a.m. Mass led by Kolkata Archbishop Thomas D’Souza, participants — including devotees and international volunteers — came down to the open area of the three-storied building to sing “Happy feast, dear Mother” in front of a giant portrait of the saint hanging above the grotto.Missionaries of Charity novices sing a hymn at the tomb of St. Teresa of Kolkata in the motherhouse in Kolkata, India, on the saint's feast day, Sept. 5, 2023. Credit: Anto AkkaraSept. 5 is also observed as Teachers Day in India.“As we also celebrate Teachers Day on this day, let us remember that Mother came to India as a Loreto nun and teacher. But she was not just a teacher who molded young minds, she was a teacher of love, planting it in human hearts,” D’Souza emphasized in his message after lighting a blue-ribboned candle on the white marble tomb of Mother Teresa.Kolkata Archbishop Thomas D’Souza lights a candle at the tomb of St. Teresa of Kolkata in the Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata, India, Sept. 5, 2023. Credit: Anto AkkaraBorn in Albania in 1910, Sister Mary Teresa reached India in 1928 as a Loreto nun and taught in the congregation schools in Kolkata for more than two decades before founding the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 with three nuns.With her missionary service, D’Souza pointed out, “Mother has shown that love is a powerful force that can transform lives.”“In this sacred place, she spent her life worshipping God and teaching us to be instruments of God’s love to feed the hungry and clothe the naked with kindness and compassion,” he said.“Mother is alive today because of her charity. Let us thank God on this day for the gift of the mother who founded the Missionaries of Charity congregation of nuns, brothers and fathers, and contemplatives to serve the world, a world that needs care and compassion,” he added.A portrait of St. Teresa of Kolkata at the Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata, India, Sept. 5, 2023. Credit: Anto AkkaraMother was popularly called the “saint of the gutters” in her lifetime. She was canonized by Pope Francis on Sept. 4, 2016.Missionaries of Charity Superior General Sister Joseph was in New Delhi so Sister Christy, assistant superior general, led the congregation in reciting a prayer to Mother Teresa before the sisters, novices, and others present began placing flowers on the tomb.Pilgrims from different parts of India — as well as non-Christian devotees

Missionaries of Charity came to greet Pope Francis during his trip to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Sept. 1-4. / Colm Flynn/EWTN Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sep 3, 2023 / 20:40 pm (CNA). Addressing charity workers in Mongolia on Monday, Pope Francis said doing good requires loving others and seeking the best for them without expecting anything in return.“To truly do good, goodness of heart is essential: a commitment to seeking what is best for others. Commitment for the sake of remuneration is not true love; only love can overcome selfishness and keep this world going,” he said at the inauguration of the House of Mercy.The pope’s Sept. 4 visit to the House of Mercy, a new charity in the Bayangol district of Ulaanbaatar, was his final stop in a four-day visit to Mongolia.Francis blessed the sign of the charitable institution, which was established to assist women and girls escaping domestic violence. It also has temporary lodging for migrants and others in need, as well as a basic medical clinic for the homeless.Built in a former school building, the charity is supported by the Catholic prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, the Pontifical Mission Societies Australia, and the Catholic Mission.In his address to volunteers from the House of Mercy and other Catholic charities in Mongolia, the pope illustrated his point with a story about St. Teresa of Calcutta.“A journalist, seeing her bent over the foul-smelling sores of a sick person, once told her, ‘What you do is beautiful, but, personally, I wouldn’t do it even for a million dollars,’” Pope Francis recalled. “Mother Teresa smiled and replied, ‘I wouldn’t do it for a million dollars either. I do it for the love of God!’”“I pray that this kind of gratuitous love will be the “value added” of the House of Mercy,” he said.Pope Francis praised the act of volunteering — what he called “a purely generous and selfless service that people freely choose to offer to those in need, not out of concern for financial remuneration or personal benefit, but out of pure love of their neighbor.”“This is the style of service that Jesus taught us,” he emphasized, adding that “the true progress of nations” should be measured not by economic growth but by the ability to provide health, education, and integral growth to one’s people.“Therefore, I would like to encourage all the citizens of Mongolia, who are well known for their generosity and capacity for self-sacrifice, to engage in volunteer work, placing themselves at the service of others,” he said.The pope also addressed what he called three “myths” about charitable activities. Two of these myths, he said, are that only those with money can engage in volunteer work, or that the only way to care for others is through hiring salaried staff. Another myth is that the Catholic Church performs works of charity only to persuade people to become Christian.“No ... Christians do whatever they can to alleviate the suffering of the needy, because in the person of the poor they acknowledge Jesus, the Son of God,

Khamba Nomun Khan, the head of the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, accompanied Pope Francis as he made his entrance at the interreligious dialogue event at the Hun Theater in Mongolia on Sept. 3, 2023. / Vatican Media Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sep 2, 2023 / 22:46 pm (CNA). In a meeting with Mongolian Buddhists, Shamans, Shintoists, and other religious representatives, Pope Francis said Sunday that interreligious dialogue is “not antithetical to proclamation” but helps religious traditions to understand one another. “With humility and in the spirit of service … the Church offers the treasure she has received to every person and culture, in a spirit of openness and in respectful consideration of what the other religious traditions have to offer,” Pope Francis said in a speech in Ulaanbaatar’s Hun Theater on Sept. 3.“Religious traditions, for all their distinctiveness and diversity, have impressive potential for the benefit of society as a whole,” he added.Pope Francis met with 12 religious leaders and representatives in the performing arts center on the Bogd Khan Uu mountain overlooking Mongolia’s capital city. The theater is built in the circular shape of a traditional Mongolian nomadic yurt dwelling called a “ger.” The rector of the only Orthodox church in Mongolia, Father Antony Gusev, represented the Russian Orthodox Church at the meeting. In his speech, Pope Francis twice cited the “Dhammapada,” the most widely-read Buddhist text that is a collection of sayings of the Buddha.“The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind, the fragrance of those who live according to virtue spreads in all directions,’” the pope said, quoting the “Dhammapada.”Nearly 90% of Mongolians who identify as religious are Buddhist. Mongolia is also home to a boy who is considered the 10th reincarnation of Buddha, discovered by the Dalai Lama in 2016. Buddhist Monk Altankhuu Tserenjav of the Zuun Khuree Dashichoiling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on what it means to his Buddhist community to be meeting Pope Francis today. #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/w1kGWAoBFC— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 3, 2023 Khamba Nomun Khan, the head of the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, accompanied Pope Francis as he made his entrance at the interreligious dialogue event.The religious landscape of Mongolia — once a heartland of Tibetan Buddhism — was dramatically changed by communist rule. At the turn of the century, there were an estimated 110,000 Buddhist monks and 700 monasteries in Mongolia.A French Catholic missionary who visited what is today Mongolia at the end of the 19th century saw the succession of Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia and noted that the vast country would also be well-suited for a Catholic contemplative monastery, a dream shared by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Mongolia’s apostolic prefect. Under the Mongolian People’s Republic’s one-party rule, many monasteries were destroyed and closed and about 17,000 Buddhist monks were killed, while many others renounced religious life. While in recent years, the country has had a modest religious revival with a movement to rebuild the destroyed Buddhist monasteries after the fall of the Soviet Union, today roughly 40% of Mongolia’s population

Pope Francis gave a special message to Chinese Catholics at the end of his Mass in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Sept. 3, 2023. / Vatican Media Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sep 3, 2023 / 03:30 am (CNA). Catholics from across Asia traveled to Mongolia to attend the country’s first-ever papal Mass with Pope Francis on Sunday.“For people in Asia … we do not have a lot of opportunities to meet the pope personally, so for many of us, for most of us, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it is like a dream come true for many many Asians,” Hee Jung Choi from Seoul told CNA at the Mass on Sept. 3.While papal Masses on the pope’s other international trips can draw hundreds of thousands of people, the Mass in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar only had an estimated 2,000 in attendance — presenting a rare opportunity to personally meet the pope for attendees. “We came to Mongolia to ask the pope to visit Vietnam,” Father Huynh The Vinh of the Vietnamese diocese of Phu Cuong said. Huynh is one of 90 Vietnamese Catholics who made the journey to Mongolia to see the pope, along with seven bishops from the country. South Korea sent a delegation of more than 300 Catholics.“For people in Asia … we do not have a lot of opportunities to meet the pope personally, so for many of us, for most of us, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it is like a dream come true for many, many Asians,” Hee Jung Choi from Seoul told CNA. #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/jyKipK5caD— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 3, 2023 Catholics from South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan attended the Mass in the sports arena, according to the Vatican. Chinese Catholics early await Pope Francis' Mass in Mongolia's Steppe Arena on Sept. 3, 2023. Courtney Mares/CNAAmong the crowd were Catholics from mainland China, including underground Catholics who risked retribution from their government to attend the Mass with the pope. At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis called Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow, the bishop of Hong Kong, and Cardinal John Tong Hon, Hong Kong’s bishop emeritus, to his side as he shared a special message for Chinese Catholics.Pope Francis said that he wanted to “send a warm greeting to the noble Chinese people.”“To all the people I wish the best, and go forward, always progress. I ask Chinese Catholics to be good Christians and good citizens,” he added.Pope Francis arrived in the Steppe Arena to enthusiastic cheers of “Viva Papa” as he made his way around the arena in a small golf cart, stopping to kiss babies and shake hands. Pope Francis arrives in Mongolia’s Steppe Arena for Sunday Mass to enthusiastic chants of “Viva Papa!” #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/fiqym8ryV4— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 3, 2023 In his homily, he reflected on the words of Psalm 63, “my soul thirsts for you” — words that he said accompany “our journey through life, amid all the deserts we are called

Pope Francis interacts with the crowd gathered outside the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2., 2023, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. / Vatican Media CNA Newsroom, Sep 2, 2023 / 07:23 am (CNA). While the Catholic population in Mongolia is one of the smallest in the world, “being little is not a problem,” Pope Francis assured the local missionaries, because God can accomplish great things with small numbers.“God loves littleness, and through it he loves to accomplish great things, as Mary herself bears witness,” Pope Francis said in Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2.“Brothers and sisters, do not be concerned about small numbers, limited success, or apparent irrelevance. That is not how God works. Let us keep our gaze fixed on Mary, who in her littleness is greater than the heavens.”Pope Francis arrives inside the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 🎥: Courtney Mares/EWTN pic.twitter.com/huuuwQQhKN— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 2, 2023 As on every papal trip, the pope’s itinerary included an address to the local priests and religious of the country, but in Mongolia this includes only 25 priests (19 religious and six diocesan) and 33 women religious. There’s only one bishop — Giorgio Marengo — who is also, at age 49, the Church’s youngest cardinal.Joining them in the cathedral were some Catholics who traveled from the Philippines, South Korea, and other Asian countries to see the pope as well as catechists and other members of the Church who are involved in the country’s eight Catholic parishes.As the pope noted, however, this small group is very active in their vast nation, investing their time in six educational centers and 48 charities, which are what he called a “calling card” of their Christian lives. There were 35 baptisms in the last year, representing a steady increase to the 1,450 Catholics in the country.Hello from inside Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, where Pope Francis is meeting Mongolia’s small Catholic population of just 1,450 people. The cathedral’s circular shape is inspired by the dwellings of Mongolian nomads called “gers.” #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/Bv88qikXSI— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 2, 2023 In the midst of their demanding pastoral work, the pope urged the Church leaders to take care that with the “wide variety of charitable initiatives, which absorb much of your energy and reflect the merciful face of Christ the Good Samaritan,” they continuously return to the source of their ministry.He exhorted them to go back often to that “original ‘gaze’ [of Jesus] from which everything began” so that their work doesn’t become an “empty delivery of services, a roster of duties that end up inducing only weariness and frustration.”He stressed the importance of prayer, inviting them to “remain in contact with the face of Christ, seeking him in the Scriptures and contemplating him in silent adoration before the tabernacle.”“Our Mongolian brothers and sisters, who have a keen sense of the sacred and — as is typical here in Asia — an ancient and complex religious

Cardinal Giorgio Marengo was one of the first to welcome Pope Francis to Mongolia on Sept. 1, 2023. Marengo is an Italian cardinal who has served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years. He is the current apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and the world’s youngest cardinal. / Credit: Vatican Media Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sep 1, 2023 / 12:10 pm (CNA). Pope Francis will be visiting Mongolia from Aug. 31–Sept. 4. Mongolia is one of the world’s largest landlocked nations, sandwiched between its much larger and more powerful neighbors, China and Russia. It has one of the smallest Christian communities in the world with 1,450 Catholics.Follow along here for live updates:Sept. 2, 2023Pope Francis arrives to the official welcome ceremony.Pope Francis arrives to the official welcome ceremony at Mongolia's Sukhbaatar Square. #PopeInMongolia 📸 Vatican Media pic.twitter.com/zWwglvma3v— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) September 2, 2023 People begin to gather in Mongolia's Sukhbaatar Square for Pope Francis' official welcome ceremony.Good morning from Mongolia’s Sukhbaatar Square! We are awaiting the pope’s arrival at the official welcome ceremony. The Mongolian Honor Guard is standing watch in front of the State Palace, where Pope Francis will be meeting the president and prime minister. #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/ZkjpZlYCMB— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 2, 2023 Tuvshin, 38, a Christian from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is waiting to see the pope. He said that Mongolia is in “a tough neighborhood between Russia and China.” “So I think he [Pope Francis] has much bigger reasons to make this pilgrimage to Mongolia.” #PopeinMongolia pic.twitter.com/PP8gJfYUIK— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 2, 2023 Sept. 1, 2023Pope Francis received an enthusiastic welcome to Mongolia after a nearly 10-hour flight on the papal plane. Here are some pictures from his first day in the country. Two little girls proudly show off their rosaries given to them by Pope Francis.After dancing for Pope Francis outside the place where he will stay while in Mongolia, these two girls were so proud to show off the rosary beads given to them by the Pope. They couldn't stop smiling. #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/rdjcNN4laA— Colm Flynn (@colmflynnire) September 1, 2023 A look at Mongolian culture at a traditional “Besreg Naadam” festival.A taste of Mongolian culture at a traditional “Besreg Naadam” festival. #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/QmGmEIRSk6— Courtney Mares (@catholicourtney) September 1, 2023 Pope Francis made history Friday morning when he became the first pope to travel to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country.Read the full article here: 📹VIDEO | Pope Francis arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He was welcomed by a young woman who offered him a cup of traditional Mongolian dried curds. He is the first pope to visit this vast landlocked nation, sandwiched between China and Russia. #PopeInMongolia pic.twitter.com/6KkWq6Z1FA— EWTN News (@EWTNews) September 1, 2023 Aug. 31, 2023Pope Francis sent a telegram to China President Xi Jinping and the people of China as the papal plane entered Chinese airspace on its way to Mongolia.Read the full article here:📹VIDEO | Pope Francis is heading to Mongolia to meet with one of the smallest Catholic communities in the world

Pope Francis stands beside Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh in Sukhbaatar Square in front of the State Palace in Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 2, 2023. / Vatican Media Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sep 1, 2023 / 21:50 pm (CNA). Pope Francis called Mongolia a “symbol of religious freedom” in his first speech in the Asian country sandwiched between China and Russia and underlined how Mongolia’s democratic government is in a unique position to play “an important role on behalf of world peace.”Speaking in Mongolia’s State Palace in Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 2, the pope asked that heaven may grant the “earth devastated by countless conflicts” a renewal and respect for international laws. “May the dark clouds of war be dispelled, swept away by the firm desire for a universal fraternity wherein tensions are resolved through encounter and dialogue, and the fundamental rights of all people are guaranteed,” the pope said in the speech to Mongolia’s democratic leaders and diplomatic corps. Speaking 200 miles from Mongolia’s border with Russia, the pope urged: “Together let us strive to build a future of peace.”The Mongolian Honor Guard stood watch in front of the State Palace as Pope Francis arrived in the capital city’s Sukhbaatar Square on Saturday morning. The square is built on the spot where Damdin Sükhbaatar, a Mongolian revolutionary hero, declared Mongolia's independence from China in 1921. Catholic pilgrims from Hong Kong and mainland China were among the small crowd of a few hundred people who welcomed the pope to the world’s most populated sovereign country. Other Mongolian passersby stopped to see the pope, including Tuvshin, 38, a Christian from Ulaanbaatar.Tuvshin told CNA that he believes Mongolia is in “a tough neighborhood between Russia and China.” “So I think he [Pope Francis] has much bigger reasons to make this pilgrimage to Mongolia,” he said.Mongolia has strong ties with its geographic neighbors China and Russia as well as an important diplomatic relationship with the United States, which Mongolia calls its “third neighbor.”“Mongolia today, with its broad network of diplomatic relations … plays a significant role in the heart of the great Asian continent and on the international scene,” the pope said.The Vatican’s diplomatic contacts with Mongolia date back nearly 800 years Pope Francis recalled how Friar John of Pian del Carpine visited the third Mongol emperor, Guyug, in 1246 as an envoy of the pope and presented to the Grand Khan an official missive from Pope Innocent IV.The letter in response bearing the seal of the Grand Khan in traditional Mongol letters can be found in the Vatican Library today. Pope Francis presented a copy of this historic document as a gift to Mongolia’s leaders as a “sign of an ancient friendship that is growing and being renewed.”Today Mongolia is home to about 1,450 Catholics, far fewer than 1% of the country’s 3.3. million people.“I am pleased that this [Catholic] community, however small and discreet, shares with enthusiasm and commitment in the country’s process of growth by spreading the culture of solidarity, universal respect, and interreligious dialogue,

Schoolchildren eagerly wait for the pope’s arrival outside of the apostolic prefecture on Sept. 1, 2023, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where Pope Francis will be staying for the duration of his four-day visit to the country. / Credit: Colm Flynn/EWTN News Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sep 1, 2023 / 11:48 am (CNA). Pope Francis received an enthusiastic welcome to Mongolia on Friday morning after a nearly 10-hour flight on the papal plane.Upon his arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport at 9:52 a.m. local time on Friday, Sept. 1, Pope Francis was greeted with a bowl of Aaruul, dried curds that are a traditional food of Mongolia’s nomadic peoples.Upon his arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport on Sept. 1, 2023, Pope Francis was welcomed with a bowl of Aaruul, dried curds which are a traditional food of Mongolian nomadic peoples. Credit: Vatican MediaA Mongolian cell service provider sent out a public service text message to all of its users to inform them of the pope’s arrival. The message said: “The Roman pope is visiting Mongolia for the first time in our history. Let’s welcome him with kind nomadic hospitality and enjoy the precious moments together.”The 86-year-old pope was rolled in his wheelchair down a long red carpet flanked by the Mongolian State Honor Guard, who saluted the first pope to ever visit the Asian country.The Mongolian State Honor Guard stands at attention for the pope’s arrival at Chinggis Khaan International Airport on Sept. 1, 2023. Pope Francis is the first pope in history to visit the Asian country. Credit: Vatican MediaCardinal Giorgio Marengo was one of the first to welcome Pope Francis to Mongolia. Marengo is an Italian cardinal who has served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years. He is the current apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and the world’s youngest cardinal.Cardinal Giorgio Marengo was one of the first to welcome Pope Francis to Mongolia on Sept. 1, 2023. Marengo is an Italian cardinal who has served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years. He is the current apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and the world’s youngest cardinal. Credit: Vatican MediaMongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh also met with the pope before the pope was taken to the Mongolian apostolic prefecture.Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh received Pope Francis at Chinggis Khaan International Airport and later met with him on his first day in Mongolia on Sept. 1, 2023. Credit: Vatican MediaAt the apostolic prefecture, where Pope Francis will be staying for the duration of the four-day trip, he was greeted with enthusiasm by representatives of Mongolia’s small Catholic community of only 1,450 Catholics.At the apostolic prefecture on Sept. 1, 2023, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where Pope Francis will be staying for the duration of the four-day trip, the pope is greeted with enthusiasm by representatives of Mongolia’s small Catholic community of only 1,450 Catholics. Credit: Colm Flynn/EWTN NewsSchoolchildren eagerly waited for the pope’s arrival outside of the prefecture, where Marengo resides. Some children performed traditional Mongolian dances for the pope and

Pope Francis' arrival in Mongolia / Courtney Mares Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Aug 31, 2023 / 20:40 pm (CNA). Pope Francis made history Friday morning when he became the first pope to travel to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country.The papal plane touched down in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar at 9:52 a.m. local time on Sept. 1. As Pope Francis debarked from the plane at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, he was welcomed by the Asian country’s foreign minister and a young woman who offered the pope a cup of traditional Mongolian dried curds.Pope Francis told journalists aboard the chartered ITA Airways plane that to visit Mongolia is to encounter “a small people, but a big culture.”“I think it will do us good to understand this silence … to understand what it means, but not intellectually, with the senses. Mongolia can be understood with the senses,” he said.Roughly the size of Alaska, Mongolia has five people per square mile. About 30% of its population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. Bordering Russia to the north and China to the south, Mongolia is also the second-largest landlocked country in the world with the vast Gobi Desert covering one-third of its territory.During the nearly 10-hour flight, the papal plane passed over more than 10 countries, including Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China.The pope sent a message to the leaders of each of these countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Pope Francis told the Chinese leader that he was praying for the well-being of the nation of China and asked for the “divine blessings of unity and peace.”The 86-year-old pope will spend the first day in the Mongolian capital resting at the apostolic prefecture. His first public event will be a welcome ceremony on Sept. 2 in the city’s Sükhbaatar Square with President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh. He will later meet with the country’s small Catholic community in the city’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.Mongolia is home to 1,450 Catholics, which is far fewer than 1% of the country’s 3.3 million people. The Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar, a missionary area that does not have enough Catholics to warrant a diocese, has jurisdiction over the entirety of Mongolia.The first modern mission to Mongolia was in 1922 and was entrusted to the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But under a communist government, religious expression was soon thereafter suppressed, until 1992. Mongolia’s first native priest was ordained in 2016.Last year, Pope Francis named an Italian who had served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years as the world’s youngest cardinal. Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, 49, is the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which serves the entire country.The motto of the pope’s four-day trip to Mongolia is “Hoping Together.” In his Angelus address this week, Pope Francis said that the trip “will be an opportunity to embrace a Church that is small in number but vibrant in faith and great in charity, and also to meet at close quarters a noble, wise people

Pope Francis greets airline workers as he boards the papal plane for his four-day trip to Mongolia on Aug. 31, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media CNA Newsroom, Aug 31, 2023 / 20:00 pm (CNA). Pope Francis on Thursday sent a telegram to China President Xi Jinping and the people of China as the papal plane entered Chinese airspace on its way to Mongolia, where the pope is scheduled to visit through Sept. 4.“I send greetings of good wishes to your excellency and the people of China as I pass through your country’s airspace en route to Mongolia,” the telegram read. “Assuring you of my prayers for the well-being of the nation, I invoke upon all of you the divine blessings of unity and peace.”The pope is scheduled to land in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, at approximately 10 a.m. local time Friday. Other than participating in an official welcoming ceremony at Chinggis Khaan International Airport as the plane arrives, the 86-year-old pope does not currently have anything else on his schedule for the day and is expected to rest after the 5,600-mile, 9.5-hour trip.During his four-day visit to the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country, Pope Francis is scheduled to meet with government leaders, engage in interreligious dialogue, and offer Mass for the small Catholic population, which numbers just 1,450 in a country of about 3 million people.Francis will become the first pope in the history of the Catholic Church to visit Mongolia, a democracy sandwiched between the authoritarian powers of Russia and China.On Wednesday, the pope asked for prayers ahead of his trip to “the heart of Asia.”