According to the French daily La Croix, Pope Francis expressed his wish to visit Mongolia last August in response to an invitation from the country’s political authorities. The pontiff of the Asian country, who has created a cardinal, is in favor of visiting the little Christian minority that exists in a territory dominated by Buddhism.
Former Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, who was greeted in the audience on August 24, forwarded the formal appeal to Pope Francis. The Apostolic Prefect of Mongolia, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, has now revealed to the French media that “the Holy Father has accepted this offer.”
Marengo has also stated that while no dates have been set, the voyage is scheduled to take place in 2023, which is about to begin.
In reality, the cardinal further stated that a room tailored to the Pope’s mobility challenges is already being created in the Apostolic Prefecture building.
“We have discussed the potential visit with the faithful, who, of course, have shown tremendous excitement,” Cardinal Marengo said, adding that he wanted to transmit caution until the trip’s date and timetable are finalized, Vida Nueva Digital reports.
This would not be the first Vatican cancellation for Marengo, who was expecting to host Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher from Secretary of State this month in Ulaanbaatar to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the reestablishment of relations between Mongolia and the Holy See.
This visit has been rescheduled owing to major protests in the capital. John Paul II’s health prevented him from visiting in 2003, on the tenth anniversary of the arrival of the first missionaries in the nation.
