With fewer than 1,500 Catholics in Mongolia, Pope Francis' upcoming visit brings attention to the long and complex history of the minority religious group
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Thursday, August 24, 2023
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Pope Francis is set to make the first-ever visit to Mongolia, a country with fewer than 1,500 Catholics, all of whom have come to the faith since 1992.
Key Points:
- Pope Francis is set to make the first-ever visit to Mongolia, a country with fewer than 1,500 Catholics, all of whom have come to the faith since 1992.
- But the pope’s visit is a reminder that the country has a long and complex history with Christianity, among many other faiths.
- Mongolia has only 3.4 million people, and at least 87.4% are Buddhists.
The Mongol Empire
- The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206 after he conquered all the other nomadic tribes on the Mongolian Plateau.
- Under the Mongol Empire, people practiced Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
- Christian women dominated the inner court of the Mongol Empire following their marriages with several Mongol Khans.
The messengers of the papacy
- For the first time Catholic missionaries were able to travel along the land route to East Asia.
- During the conquest, the Mongols often spared many Christians in Central and West Asia, even though they killed those who resisted the Mongol rule.
- Catholic missionaries could not find a way to convert the Mongols but continued their efforts with the successive rulers.
- In 1253, William of Rubruck visited the Mongol court in Karakorum to urge Genghis Khan’s grandson Möngke Khan to convert.
Catholicism and Nestorianism
- Before his visit there was not much communication between Catholic missionaries and Nestorians, but William of Rubruck was able to chronicle the activities of the Nestorian community within the Mongol Empire.
- In 1287 a Nestorian monk, Rabban Bar Sauma, embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from Khanbaliq, near modern Beijing.
- At the same time, the Catholic missionaries also started to expand their influence in Central Asia.
Religious revivals in Mongolia
- Over the next few centuries, the religious landscape in Mongolia continued to change, depending on who was ruling the region.
- However, under the Qing dynasty that ruled China and Mongolia in the 17th century, Buddhism was revived.
- When the pope visits this complex religious terrain, his visit will be significant from the geopolitical and religious perspective: In June 2023, the pope visited its neighboring country Russia as part of international peacemaking efforts.