Evaluating Pope Francis’ 43rd apostolic journey, his trip to Mongolia, a central Asian country with around 1,450 Catholics, America magazine picked three momentous occasions for the Church in the historic visit. The first was the celebration of the public Mass that moved the tiny Catholic community from being on the peripheries to the centre of the Catholic world.
The second moment of historical significance was the pope participating in an ecumenical and interreligious meeting that brought together, perhaps for the first time ever, representatives of all the religions present in Mongolia. In the predominantly Buddhist country, 11 religious leaders joined the Holy Father on stage for the ecumenical and interfaith meeting at the Hun Theatre.
Pope Francis encouraged the faith leaders “to cultivate hope” by working together for harmony, justice and peace in their homeland and the wider world. The “wise man rejoices in giving, and by that alone does he become happy,” the pope said, quoting from the Dhammapada, the collection of sayings of the Buddha. Similarly, citing Francis of Assisi, he said, “Where there is hatred, let me bring love, where there is offence, let me bring pardon, where there is discord, let me bring union.”
The third moment was when the pope made an impromptu gesture of affection and concern for the Church in the neighbouring county of China. At the end of the public Mass, he called to his side two Chinese bishops of Hong Kong who had concelebrated with him: the emeritus bishop John Cardinal Tong Hon and Cardinal-elect Stephen Chow, SJ, the current bishop.
Holding their hands, he said: “I would like to take this opportunity, in the presence of these two brother bishops, to send a heartfelt greeting to the noble Chinese people. I send my good wishes to them all: always move forward, always advance! And to Chinese Catholics: I ask you to be good Christians and good citizens. To all of you, thank you!” Around 200 faithful from mainland China were in attendance at the Steppe Arena, cheering “Ciao, ni hao, viva il Papa,” a mix of Italian and Chinese meaning “Hi, hello, long live the pope!”
I would like to take this opportunity, in the presence of these two brother bishops, to send a heartfelt greeting to the noble Chinese people. I send my good wishes to them all: always move forward, always advance! And to Chinese Catholics: I ask you to be good Christians and good citizens. To all of you, thank you!
Pope Francis
On the papal plane returning to Rome from Mongolia, Pope Francis held his traditional inflight press conference where he further clarified Vatican-China relations. He emphasised that “the relationship with China is very respectful. I personally have great admiration for the Chinese people. The channels are very open—for the appointment of bishops there is a commission that has been working with the Chinese government and the Vatican for a long time. Then there are many, or rather there are some, Catholic priests or Catholic intellectuals who are often invited to Chinese universities to offer courses.
“I think we need to move forward in the religious aspect to understand each other better and so that Chinese citizens do not think that the Church does not accept their culture and values and that the Church is dependent on another foreign power.
“This friendly path is well-followed by the commission chaired by [Pietro] Cardinal Parolin: they are doing a good job, even on the Chinese side, relations are moving forward. I have great respect for the Chinese people.”
Pope Francis also clarified that evangelisation is not proselytism, pointing out that proselytism always restricts. He said he was satisfied with the results of his trip to Mongolia, where his objective was “to get to know the people of Mongolia, to enter into dialogue with them, to receive their culture, and to accompany the Church on its journey with much respect for them and their culture.”
He also spoke about the upcoming apostolic exhortation, which is expected to be an update of Laudato Si’. It will be released on the feastday of Saint Francis, 4 October, which will be a review of what has happened since the COP21 in Paris, which has perhaps been the most fruitful to date.
“There is some news about some COPs and about some things that haven’t been resolved yet, and there is an urgency to solve them. It is not as big as the Laudato Si’, but is a continuation of Laudato Si’ on new things, and is also an analysis of the situation,” the pope said.
Addressing a question of whether journalists could also have access to the upcoming synod’s assembly and the general sessions, the pope said, “A parliament is different from a synod. Do not forget that the protagonist of the Synod is the Holy Spirit. And how can this be transmitted? If someone wants the news to be ‘This person has taken it out on that person for this or that reason,’ that is political gossip,” the pope said.
