Pope Francis will be the first pope to visit Mongolia in September.(Photo: Vatican News)
Aug 9 2023
In the first week of September, Pope Francis will be on a visit to Mongolia, a country sandwiched between Russia and China.It will be the first time that a pope sets foot on Mongol land.And, this papal visit will be full of geopolitical significance.
Diplomatic relations between the Catholic Church and the Mongols have a pluri-secular history. The first encounter between the two occurred in the 13th century, long before most nation-states existed.
In 1289 Pope Nicholas IV sent a first legate, Italian Franciscan missionary Friar John of Montecorvino, to the Great Khan of the Yuan dynasty. At the time, the dynasty covered a transcontinental empire, which included all of China and parts of Eastern Europe.
Montecorvino was able to formalize relationships between the two superpowers and re-establish Christianity in the Far East. In 1336, we see Toghun Temor, the last emperor of Yuan dynasty, sending an embassy to Pope Benedict XII based in Avignon, France.
Unfortunately, a few years later, the Black Death came. Over a few months, millions died and the world was reshaped. Yet, the Mongols and the Catholic Church survived. They were deeply impacted but they never disappeared. They continued to evolve, and their testimony remains alive today.
In other words, Pope Francis in Mongolia is not an absolute beginning. It is a reconnection with centuries of intercultural exchanges, marked by breakthroughs and setbacks, but filled with resilience that may help to address the difficulties of contemporary world affairs.
“This nation stands at the center of long-term Asian interests”
In Mongolia and with the Mongols, Pope Francis is walking with a great civilization for the sake of the Mongols and the rest of the world.
Today, Mongols have lost most of their territories. Their northern lands have been colonized by the Russians and their southern steppes by the Chinese. In China, a gigantic Inner Mongolia province still exists, and some Chinese politicians do not hesitate to claim sovereignty over the whole of Mongolia.
In the rest of Central Asia, a handful of sovereign states emerged. They share a long history with the Mongols and remained influenced by cultural and political traditions coming from the Great Khan. Whatever happens to the Mongols resonates with the rest of the region.
In the eyes of the West, Mongolia might be at the periphery of contemporary trading roads and maritime exchanges, but this nation stands at the center of long-term Asian interests.
When the Soviets collapsed, Mongols soon embraced the ideal of self-determination and democracy. For decades, their new state worked hard to build national autonomy and was able to succeed in building economic growth and secure harmonious relationships with powerful neighbors. Mongolia was a model for other Central Asian states.
But 30 years after the collapse of the Soviets, doubts about democratic ideals are growing. Mongolian elites are facing a crisis of confidence. The economic boom of the 2000s is gone. Urban migration pushed half of the nation to lose its ancestral lifestyle. Corruption and authoritarian temptations are growing.
In this context, it is most likely that Pope Francis will act as he did in Kazakhstan. During his visit in 2022, he did not hesitate to sermon with Kazakh elites. His point was not to support one political system over another. His goal was to question the ultimate values that a nation wants to defend and serve.
Francis will certainly talk again about the need for an inclusive political system able to cherish every single life, support justice and peace for all, and nurture natural resources.
“The Chinese regime is reluctant to improve its relations with the Holy See“
Unfortunately, Mongolian lands have long been treated as a site of selfish extraction. Either by the Russians during the Soviet Era or by the Chinese and Australians after 1990, Mongol territories have long been vandalized and abused.
The multi-secular wisdom of the Mongols has been silenced by the egoist interests of a few. Vast pastoral lands have been turned into gigantic mines. In central Asia, the massive extraction of natural resources is at the center of deep political interests, international relations, and ecological catastrophes.
Pope Francis is well aware of how Central Asia is vital for the ecology of our world.After the Amazon, it is the second lung of the earth.When the sky of the Mongols is no longer blue anymore and their steppes no longer green, our planet is in danger. Pope Francis is naturally expected to talk about the ecological challenges that Mongolia is facing.
Like in Kazakhstan, papal concerns about Russia and China will also be an important part of the visit. In 2022, Francis tried to meet with Xi Jinping in Nur-Sultan but the Chinese leader was too busy to meet with him. The Chinese regime is reluctant to improve its relations with the Holy See.
Sino-Vatican relations are historically low. But if China does not come to Rome, Francis invites himself in Mongolia and knocks at the door. Francis never gives up!
Similarly, Russia will be on the agenda. The war in Ukraine and the madness of Vladimir Putin cannot be ignored. This is a threat for the entire humankind. If papal calls for peace and justice are difficult to listen to, Pope Francis will not stop explaining them. Violence cannot be the solution.
With the Mongols who built a unique civilization, interconnected continents, and gathered centuries of wisdom, Pope Francis will invite all to not let the difficulties of our time overwhelm us. The ecological tragedies and political mistakes of the past should be a lesson for today. – UCA News
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
