SW News: Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia has said that the young Church in the Asian country will cherish the historic visit of the Holy Father. Pope Francis is slated to visit the Buddhist-majority country from August 31 to September 4 as part of his 43rd Apostolic visit abroad. Cardinal Marengo said that the late Pope John Paul II had plans to visit the country in 2003 when the Mission of Ulaanbaatar was elevated to the rank of Apostolic Prefecture. However, it did not happen as his health worsened. Addressing the media in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, the youngest member of the Sacred College of Cardinals paid homage to his illustrious predecessor Bishop Wenceslao Padilla, the pioneer missionary who led members of the CICM congregation in replanting the Church in the country after the communist persecution era.

The Holy Father decided to visit Mongolia after he received an invitation from President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh which was handed over by a delegation at the Vatican on August 24 last year. The Church’s relations with other religions, especially the Buddhist authorities, are cordial and reflect the tolerance shown by the Khan dynasty centuries ago. On May 28 last year, Pope Francis met a high-level delegation of Buddhist monks from the country.

The Holy See’s relations with Mongolia grew stronger after 1990 when diplomatic ties were established. It is in this regard that a pact was signed between the Mongolian Ambassador to the Holy See and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The agreement pertained to mutual collaboration in the cultural field.
Catholics had a negligible presence in Mongolia in the early 1990s when the period of persecution ended. Today, the nation has 1,450 baptized Catholics who are spread across nine parishes. As many as 29 priests serve them along with 40 women religious and three men religious. There are also three lay missionaries.