Pope Francis Delivers Coded Address to China During Visit to Mongolia

Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh (center left) and the Pope greet the crowd in front of the Genghis Khan statue on Sukhbaatar Square. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

Pope Francis urged Chinese Catholics to be «good citizens» and praised the nobility of the Chinese people in his latest address to a communist country that has imposed severe restrictions on religion.

The Pope made unscripted comments at the end of Mass in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, calling on former and current Bishops of Hong Kong Cardinal John Tong Khon and Bishop Stephen Chow to accompany him as he spoke. Hong Kong and the current Bishop of Hong Kong — I would like to take advantage of their presence to convey warm greetings to the noble Chinese people,» he said in Italian.

“I wish all the [Chinese] people all the best, keep moving forward, always progress. And I ask Chinese Catholics to be good Christians and good citizens,” he said.

Pope Francis spoke at the end of an unprecedented event in which he and almost the entire Catholic population of the country were in the same room. During his trip to Mongolia, which ends on Monday, he visits a Catholic community of only 1,450 people.

Pope Francis attends Mass at the Steppe Arena Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

On Saturday, in words that seem to , were directed against China, not Mongolia, Francis said that governments have nothing to fear from the Catholic Church because it has no political program. .

Beijing is pursuing a policy of «sinification» of religion in an attempt to eradicate foreign influence and bring the Communist Party into line.

In 2018, a landmark agreement was reached between the Vatican and China to appoint bishops. insignificant at best, and the Vatican complains that Beijing has violated it several times.

The phrase used by the Pope on Sunday — «good Christians and good citizens» — is often used by the Vatican to try to convince communist governments who believe that giving Catholics more freedom would only help the social and economic progress of their countries.

The Vatican used the same phrase about Vietnam, which improved relations in July by allowing the Vatican to have a permanent papal representative in Hanoi.

The Vatican has asked China to allow a similar office in Beijing. Vatican officials hope the admission of Vietnam in July could help convince Beijing to do the same, diplomats told Reuters.

A «church bridge» with mainland China

In April, Bishop Chow, Hong Kong's top Catholic clergyman, initiated the first a visit to the Chinese capital by a bishop of a former British colony in nearly 30 years.

Bishop Chou, who the Pope will make a cardinal this month, told reporters at a papal event on Saturday that he hoped the Church in Hong Kong could become » Bridge Church with Mainland China.

Bishop Chow led a delegation of about 40 Catholics from Hong Kong to Mongolia, Mr. Chow, and said that the Catholic Church in Asia is growing and can help Catholics in East and West better understand each other.