VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will journey to Mongolia on the finish of August, the Vatican confirmed on Thursday, indicating that his well being is enhancing effectively sufficient after surgical procedure to have the ability to go to the remotest space he has ever visited.
The Vatican issued an in depth schedule for the Aug. 31-Sept. 4 journey, an indication that the go to may now be known as off just for excessive causes.
Francis, 86, who spent 9 days in hospital after surgical procedure for an stomach hernia final month, is because of go to Portugal from Aug. 2 to 4. He is resting for the month of July, the Vatican’s customary vacation month.
Francis will spend all of his time in Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar, capital of the huge nation with solely about 1,300 Catholics, fewer than most parish church buildings in lots of locations.
To enable him to relaxation after an evening flight of greater than 9 hours and eight,278 km (5,144 miles) he can have no public actions on the primary day aside from a short official welcome on the airport named after Genghis Khan, who based the Mongol Empire within the thirteenth century.
During the journey he’ll meet with authorities, diplomats, bishops, clergymen, missionaries, members of others religions and likewise say a Mass for the tiny Catholic neighborhood within the Steppe Arena, an indoor ice hockey rink.
The nation of about 3.3 million individuals is strategically important for the Roman Catholic Church due to its proximity to China, the place the Vatican is making an attempt to enhance the scenario of Catholics.
Mongolia, which was a part of China till 1921, has good relations with Beijing and diplomats say it could possibly be used as an middleman with China.
Last 12 months, Francis named Archbishop Giorgio Marengo, an Italian, the primary cardinal to be based mostly in Mongolia, the place he’s the Catholic Church’s administrator.
Visiting locations the place Catholics are a minority is a part of Francis’ coverage of drawing consideration to individuals and issues in what he has known as the peripheries of society and of the world.
He nonetheless has not visited many of the capitals of Western Europe.
According to the US State Department, about 60% of Mongolians establish as spiritual. Among these, 87.1% are Buddhist, 5.4% Muslim, 4.2% Shamanist, 2.2% Christian and 1.1% followers of different religions. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
