A few Chinese Catholics came to sneak a peek at Pope Francis during an official welcome ceremony in the main square of Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar on Saturday, enthusiastically waving their country's flag.
The Vatican does not have diplomatic relations with China, instead recognising Chinese-claimed Taiwan, while China's Catholics have long been split between a state-backed official church and an underground flock loyal to the pope.
Yang Guang, a 37-year-old Catholic from Shanghai, said he came to Mongolia for a holiday but was glad to catch a glimpse of the pope at Sukhbaatar Square. A few other Chinese nationals could be seen receiving blessings from a cardinal on the sidelines of ceremony.A woman cover her face with a Chinese flag ahead of Pope Francis's welcome ceremony with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh at Sukhbaatar Square, during his Apostolic Journey in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia September 2, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia RawlinsSuzanne Willis, a Christian pilgrim from Hong Kong, said she was moved to tears seeing Francis in person.
Mongolia, with its population of about 3.3 million people, is strategically significant for the Roman Catholic Church because of its proximity to China, where the Vatican is trying to improve the situation of Catholics.on Friday to visit the country's tiny Catholic community, which at 1,450 members is one of the smallest in the world.
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