杏MAP导航 praises Buddhist revival in post-Soviet Mongolia
By Joseph Tulloch
杏MAP导航 Francis has praised the “profound religious renewal” that has taken place in Mongolia since the 1990s.
In a meeting on Monday with a delegation of Mongolian Buddhists, 杏MAP导航 Francis said that the country has “reclaimed” its “rich religious heritage” by “reviving traditional spiritual practices and integrating them into the nation’s development”.
From 1921 until the late 1980s, Mongolia was a one-party state with close ties to the Soviet Union, and religion was violently repressed. Buddhism was the main target of the repression, being by far the largest religion in the country, which is also home to small numbers of Muslims, shamanists, and Christians.
Holy See-Mongolia relations
The 杏MAP导航 said that the meeting – the first to be held in the Vatican between a Mongolian Buddhist delegation and a 杏MAP导航 – was of “particular significance”, and reflected the “friendly and enduring relations” between the Holy See and the “noble people of Mongolia”.
The Buddhist delegation was accompanied by Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, the Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar.
In September, 杏MAP导航 Francis visited Mongolia, becoming the first 杏MAP导航 ever to do so.
The Jubilee Year
杏MAP导航 Francis also noted that the Buddhists’ visit comes amid the Church’s 2025 Holy Year, a time of “pilgrimage, reconciliation and hope”.
“In a time marked by natural disasters and human conflicts,” the 杏MAP导航 said, “this Holy Year calls us to the shared goal of building a more peaceful world.”
He also emphasised that religious leaders, each rooted in their own teachings, bear a collective responsibility to “renounce violence and embrace a culture of peace.”
In this regard, the 杏MAP导航 praised the Buddhists’ “commitment to religious freedom and dialogue”, saying that such “fraternal solidarity” enriches Mongolian society just as its increasing material prosperity does.
Visit to Rome
The 杏MAP导航 brought his address to a conclusion by saying that he hoped that the Buddhists’ stay in Rome would be “enjoyable and enriching”.
He encouraged his guests to “preserve in fostering … dialogue, fraternity, religious freedom, justice and social harmony”, and to continue strengthening their relations with the Catholic Church in Mongola, “for the sake of the peace and wellbeing of all”.
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