In an unprecedented gesture, Pope Francis offered a heartfelt greeting to the “noble” people of China during a mass celebrated in neighboring Mongolia, marking the first-ever papal visit to Mongolia. This significant message was delivered in the midst of increasing concerns surrounding Beijing’s crackdown on religious minorities.
During the mass, Pope Francis invited to the altar Cardinal John Hon Tong and Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow, both retired and current bishops of Hong Kong. He clasped their hands and conveyed his warm wishes to the crowd, which included many mainland Chinese pilgrims.
“I want to take advantage of their presence to send a warm greeting to the noble Chinese people,” Pope Francis expressed. “To all the (Chinese) people, I wish the best and to always go forward, always progress.” He further added, “I ask Chinese Catholics to be good Christians and good citizens,” which was met with cheers from the gathered crowd at the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
This was the sole occasion during his four-day visit that Pope Francis publicly mentioned China, despite Beijing’s significant influence on the trip and Mongolia as a whole.
China’s ruling Communist Party has been engaged in a sustained crackdown on religion, with an emphasis on tightening controls over Christianity and Islam, which are seen as foreign influences and potential challenges to Communist authority. The crackdown, particularly in the Xinjiang region, has been particularly severe, with allegations of over a million ethnic minority members being forcibly sent to re-education centers, where they reportedly endured torture, sexual assault, and forced abandonment of their language and religion.
The United Nations accused China of serious human rights violations, possibly amounting to “crimes against humanity” last year. China, in response, denied targeting Uyghurs and others based on their religion and culture, dismissing these claims as falsehoods propagated by the West. Beijing argued that its crackdown aimed to combat separatism, terrorism, and religious extremism.
The Pope did extend a telegram of greeting to President Xi Jinping while his aircraft transited Chinese airspace early on Friday. In the telegram, he offered “divine blessings of unity and peace.” The Beijing foreign ministry acknowledged this gesture as a sign of “friendliness and goodwill.”
Despite the presence of small groups of Chinese pilgrims at Francis’ main mass in Mongolia, no mainland Chinese bishop was reported to have received permission to travel for the papal visit. This highlighted the tenuous nature of the 2018 Vatican-China accord on Catholic bishop nominations, which Beijing has violated by making unilateral appointments.
Earlier on Sunday, Pope Francis indirectly addressed China’s crackdown on faith groups by contrasting it with Mongolia’s long-standing tradition of religious tolerance. He presided over an interfaith event, bringing together Mongolian shamans, Buddhist monks, Muslim and Jewish leaders, Shinto representatives, and a Russian Orthodox priest. Sitting alongside them on a theater stage, Francis listened intently as they shared their beliefs, their connection with the divine, and the peace and harmony their faiths bring to the world.
“The fact that we are meeting together in one place already sends a message: It shows that the religious traditions, for all their distinctiveness and diversity, have impressive potential for the benefit of society as a whole,” Pope Francis remarked.
Pope Francis’ visit to Mongolia serves to minister to one of the world’s smallest and newest Catholic communities, as well as highlight Mongolia’s tradition of tolerance in a region where the Vatican’s relations with neighboring China and Russia are often strained. Amid concerns about Beijing’s crackdown on religious minorities, the Vatican aims to focus attention on Mongolia and its 1,450 Catholics.
Hong Kong Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow, who made a historic visit to Beijing earlier this year, accompanied 40 pilgrims to Mongolia. He declined to comment on the absence of his mainland Chinese counterparts and instead emphasized the importance of Pope Francis’ visit to Mongolia for the Asian church.
While Mongolia’s predominantly Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism is followed by most Mongolians, and the Dalai Lama is highly revered, the country’s leaders have been cautious in their public statements due to the need to maintain stable relations with China, which is Mongolia’s top export partner. This has also meant that concerns over Beijing’s repressive policies towards ethnic Mongols in China’s Inner Mongolia region have largely remained unaddressed.
Pope Francis has maintained a cautious approach towards Beijing, refraining from criticism or meetings with the Dalai Lama. While the Dalai Lama was not present during the visit, he was mentioned by the head of Mongolia’s main Tibetan Buddhist monastery, who highlighted that the Dalai Lama had recently recognized the 10th reincarnation of the head lama of Mongolian Buddhists. This recognition has created a challenge, as China requires all reincarnated lamas to be born within China and certified by Beijing, a requirement that the newly recognized Mongolian lama does not meet.