A journey through the great steppes and the small gers, the typical tents with wooden columns and felt walls, a symbol of the nomadic life of the population. A "passionate", "peaceful" population, with "a vocation for multilateralism" and care for the environment following a dangerous mining landslide. A population of which 0.02% profess being Catholic, belonging to a "small flock" reborn after the collapse of communism in 1992. This is how Bruni outlined Francis' pilgrimage to Mongolia, with a single stop in the capital Ulanbaatar.
This is the 43rd apostolic trip of the Argentine Pontiff, the 61st of his pontificate, the first of a Pope in this tight Asian link between Russia and China. Pope Francis will cross the latter on the round-trip flight and plans to send a telegram to President Xi Jinping.
The location of Mongolia is therefore geopolitically symbolic in a historical moment marked by the war in Ukraine that will probably also be reflected in the Pope's 1 September address to the civil authorities, one of the five addresses – all in Italian – that Francis will deliver in the three days of travel, characterised by his meeting with various institutional and social groups in the country.
However, the heart of the entire trip will be the meeting with the small Catholic community, about 1500 faithful: "The Pope goes to Mongolia to speak mainly to them, he will address words of encouragement and hope to this beautiful reality that offers an important contribution in the fields of human life", said Bruni, recalling the roots of this Church that, in fact, is experiencing its origins today, although there are contacts with the Latin world as early as 1200 and also an exchange of letters between the son of Genghis Khan and Pope Innocent IV.
The appointment of the first bishop dates back to the beginning of the 14th century, when the Mongol Empire included part of China; then, over the centuries, the presence of Christians in the area almost disappeared, until it disappeared completely during the years of the communist regime. Since 1992, the Church has been "readmitted" and "invited to a presence", reinvigorated in these last thirty years by the great work of the missionaries, first of all the Consolata Missionaries, a Congregation to which the first and only Cardinal of Mongolia belongs, Giorgio Marengo, Apostolic Prefect of Ulanbaatar, who received his red hat in the Consistory last year.
Given this historical background, but also the present of this small but active Church in society – so much so that in these months an agreement between the Holy See and Mongolia on the work of Christians is under study – the Mass that the Pope will celebrate in the afternoon of 3 September in the Steppe Arena is central. The 1,500 faithful residing in Mongolia, 90% in the capital, will also be joined by another 1,000 faithful from different neighbouring countries. These include: Russia, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Vietnam.
Also on Sunday the 3rd, the Pope will preside over an ecumenical and inter-religious event in the Hun Theatre: representatives of shamanism, Shintoism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and other confessions will take part. A sign of the vocation to peaceful coexistence that has characterised the Mongolian people for decades, Bruni emphasised.
Illustrating the program in detail, Matteo Bruni also reported that the Pope will leave Fiumicino at 6.30 p.m. on 31 August by plane and will land in Ulanbaatar at the Chinggis Khaan international airport, welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and by a young woman who will offer him a cup of dried yogurt, a typical gift of the country. The first day will be dedicated to institutional appointments: in the morning with civil authorities, including President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh and the Prime Minister; in the afternoon with bishops, priests, consecrated missionaries.
The last appointment will take place in the cathedral, built in the twentieth century with a structure that recalls the ger, where there is a statue of the Madonna found by a woman in the garbage years ago, then enthroned and venerated as the Mother of Heaven. Cardinal Marengo dedicated Mongolia to her last year. The woman who found the statue will welcome the Pope in the cathedral, divided into two floors, along with a Mongolian woman who will offer a jug of milk wrapped in a blue scarf, another typical gift.
In addition to the meetings already reported, involving many a ride in the Pope-s golf car, on the last day Francis will bless and inaugurate the House of Mercy, a disused school complex belonging to the Sisters, now set up to give shelter to the poor, the homeless, migrants and victims of domestic violence. "It is good that the Pope will conclude his journey in this place of love" said Matteo Bruni.
