Pope welcomed to Mongolia
Pope Francis was given an exuberant welcome to Mongolia on Friday on the first papal visit to the Asian nation, as he sent a message of "unity and peace" to neighbouring China in a bid to improve ties. The 86-year-old pontiff's trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for its tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400 – but at the same time a strategic move to improve Vatican ties with Beijing and Moscow. Francis arrived on Friday morning following a nine-hour journey from Rome, greeted by a line of Mongolian honour guards in traditional blue, red and yellow attire upon his arrival, along with foreign minister Batmunkh Battsetseg. He then headed to the home of Bishop Giorgio Marengo, the Church's youngest Cardinal, where children waving the flags of Mongolia and the Vatican chanted "Long live the pope!" Local children sang songs about "Mongolian happiness" as they waited for the pope, with lyrics declaring "Mongolia is full of freedom, peace, joy and a bright future". Sister Aleth Evangelista said she and her fellow nuns felt "very blessed and fortunate to welcome the Pope in this country". "Mongolia is a non-Christian country, most of the people are Buddhist and Shamanist, but the pope is here to foster peace and communion among all people," she said. "I am quite excited that a worldly person like him would come to Mongolia, and it is a rare occasion," Khijigjargal Darisuren, a volunteer at the Saint Thomas church, said. "I am very happy that we could meet him in person which is a rare treat for us." The voyage is Francis' second to the region in a year after a September trip to Kazakhstan, underscoring the geopolitical importance of the sensitive area. (AFP)