SPOTLIGHT 23/09/02 Joy, surprise and ‘a scare’ as pope welcomed in Mongolia

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Joy, surprise and ‘a scare’ as pope welcomed in Mongolia

A diverse crowd, Australian, Filipino, Hongkongers and Chinese risking a backlash back home, turn up to see Pope Francis

People, carrying Vatican and Mongolian flags, cheer during the welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis in  Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar on Sept. 2. (Photo: AFP)

By Cristian Martini Grimaldi

Published: September 02, 2023 05:54 AM GMT

Pope Francis was welcomed by Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh at an impressive gathering on Sept 2 that, though not enormous in size, bore witness to a remarkable diversity of nationalities and a multitude of curious tourists.

Among them were Albert Shaw and his wife who are Australians. They found themselves at this occasion by chance and marveled at the timing. "We didn't even know the pope was coming to Mongolia. It feels like a sign of faith," Albert exclaimed.

Although they don’t consider themselves Catholics, the couple appreciated the pope's commitment to, as Albert put it, “to reach marginalized communities worldwide.”

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Ram Akino, 26, and Kenny Muyalde, 32, came from the Philippines, having been drawn to Mongolia on the recommendation of a friend who had chosen the path of being an English teacher abroad a few years prior.

Ram emphasized the stark contrast between Mongolian and Philippine cultures. "Mongolian culture is more traditional, and you can truly feel it here. Unfortunately, the Philippines has become more cosmopolitan, and we've lost some of our traditions."

"In the Philippines, our churches are definitely more crowded, but here, you really realize you are confronted with the early stages of growth of a new community,” Ram noted.

"Displaying religious symbols is uncommon due to religious restrictions"

“Also surprisingly, there are more Mongolians in the churches than foreigners," he added.

When asked about the differences in Catholic rituals, he explained, "We have processions in the Philippines, thousands of people walking the streets and showing Catholic symbols, but here, displaying religious symbols is uncommon due to religious restrictions.”

Ram also observed how “baptism here [in Mongolia] is very common during later stages of lives, maybe in elementary school or high school, whereas in the Philippines, it's a rite performed almost exclusively on newborns.”

In the midst of the bustling pilgrimage, a group of 29 visitors from Hong Kong stood at the forefront of a barrier, eagerly anticipating the arrival of both the pope and the Mongolian president barely a hundred meters from where they’d placed themselves.

Among them was a spirited 68-year-old, Elisabeth Ip, who shared her deep-rooted connection to this momentous occasion. "I want to grab his hand," she declared with an unwavering determination.

"Our connection to Mongolia is as Salesians, and we provide substantial donations to support the Salesian children's center here in Ulaanbaatar," she said.

Elisabeth's journey into Catholicism bore the mark of her father's Protestant faith, an unusual convergence that stemmed from her dad's admiration for her Catholic godmother.

"My father was Protestant," she recounts, "but he insisted on having me baptized because he held great affection for my godmother, who was Catholic."

"An influx of many religions demands a meticulous approach"

Elisabeth suggested that I talk to their Salesian spiritual leader, Father Ambrosio Mong. I learned that he was born in Singapore into a devout Catholic family.

Mong emphasized the unique atmosphere within the local churches here in Mongolia, remarking, "We entered a church here, and though it may not be as crowded as those in Hong Kong, you can palpably sense the excitement within a Church that is poised for remarkable growth."

Curiosity led us to inquire about the bureaucratic hurdles that religious institutions face in Mongolia compared to the situation in Hong Kong.

"Those legal hurdles have a logic of their own,” Mong reflected.

They — the Mongolians — must exercise caution because an influx of many religions demands a meticulous approach. And now many religions are coming in, not just Christians.

“When numerous faiths converge into one homogenous religious culture like Mongolia where the majority is Buddhist, you cannot open the country all at once," he explained.

The priest further expounded that it's not about the core values of the Gospel that Catholicism is bringing to this part of the world now, but how they were imposed through imperialism in the first place.

“With Pope Francis extending his outreach to the periphery, he aims to demonstrate his concern for these often overlooked communities,” he said.

Amidst the diverse crowd, I spotted a few Chinese pilgrims, and before I knew it an unexpected and unsettling incident unfolded.

While interviewing one of the attendees about their motivations for coming to Mongolia, a young man standing behind them with a baseball hat and a shirt with a Catholic logo, began to abruptly silence the person who was about to say something.

Perplexed and assuming he must be their spiritual leader, I asked him why he dissuaded the person from talking to me.

Paradoxically enough, with a smirk on his face, he denied it. But the other person had fallen silent.

However, the silent one discreetly revealed a message on his phone, while hiding it from the view of the guy who’d just tried to hush him up.

The message was in English and read: "Afraid to go back, we will be persecuted."

This unsettling revelation added an air of gloom to the whole joyful welcome to the pope.