VATICAN (UCAN): Pope Francis welcomed a delegation of Buddhist monks and Catholic priests from Mongolia to the Vatican and urged them to promote peace and harmony in the country.
The pope called on the religious leaders to follow the life of two great men, Jesus and Buddha, who were “peacemakers and promoters of non-violence.”
He also lauded Buddhist leaders for their desire to establish a peaceful society through cooperation with the Catholic Church.
The visit of the delegation, led by Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar, which covers the whole of Mongolia, took place on May 28 and was part of the 30th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Mongolia and the Vatican, Vatican News reported.
The courtesy call came just a day before Pope Francis named Bishop Marengo, an Italian Consolata missionary, as one of 21 new cardinals to be created at a consistory on August 27.
Pope Francis also warned the delegation to be watchful of people who exploit religion to justify violence and hatred.
He called on Mongolia’s Buddhists and Catholics to “strengthen our friendship for the benefit of everyone” and “for the sake of peace and harmony.”
Bishop Marengo said he has high hopes that the visit would foster interfaith harmony in Mongolia.
“It was a meeting that we have tried to organise in recent years thanks to contacts with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and, after the difficulties due to the pandemic, we have now been able to complete,” he told Fides news agency.
“Dialogue with the Buddhist community, the faith of the majority in Mongolia, is fundamental for us. It is part of our mission. I am sure it will bear good fruit,” the bishop said.
Mongolia has a population of 3.5 million. The Catholic Church has an estimated 1,400 members in eight parishes, served by 66 foreign missionaries and two native Mongolian priests.
Bishop Marengo has served in Mongolia since 2003. Pope Francis appointed him the second apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar on 2 April 2022, succeeding the late Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, who died on 29 August 2018.
