Even though Genghis Khan’s descendants carried out the Mongol invasions, which came dangerously close to capturing all of Europe, it also seems strange to give him credit for them. Pope Francis was no greeted by throngs of people on Saturday in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, under the imposing statue of 13th-century warrior Genghis Khan.
In the city’s center, Sükhbaatar Square, where the pontiff was seated with Mongolian President U Khnaagiin Khürelsukh, around 200 faithful members from one of the smallest and newest Catholic communities joyfully greeted him, as opposed to the crowds of thousands he is accustomed to.
Francis praised Mongolia’s tradition of spiritual freedom in his remarks to the president, diplomats, and social leaders at the state palace, pointing out that this tolerance existed both before and during the Mongol Empire spread across large swaths of the globe.
According to Francis, according to The Associated Press,” the empire’s ability to encompass such far-off and diverse lands over the centuries attests to the remarkable capacity of your ancestors to recognize the exceptional qualities of the peoples present in its vast territory and to put those qualities at the service of a common development.” He stated that” this model should be valued and re-proposed in our own day.”
The pontiff also referred to” Pax Mongolica ,” Latin for” Mungol peace ,” a time of relative stability over Eurasia during the 13th and 14th centuries among those living in the mongol Empire’s conquered territories. He bemoaned an” earth devastated by countless conflicts” and called for an increase in respect for international law. Religious minorities are treated fairly differently by the Mongols. On the one hand, there was some spiritual freedom and tolerance, but there were also ruthless and brutal invasions. Increased access to Asia benefited the Catholic Church in some ways, but Biblical life centers were also destroyed. Comments with specific keywords will be put in a moderation queue to stop spam comments from flooding our comments section in the past. A member of our team will personally approve all comments made by legitimate commenters. Please give us up to 24 hours to manually approve your comment if it is marked as” Awaiting Moderation.” Do no re-post the exact comment, please.
Pope Francis was not greeted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, by hordes on Saturday. The statue of Genghis, a 13th-century warrior, is a towering structure.
The pontiff was greeted by 200 faithful, rather than the thousands he is used to, in the central Sukhbaatar Square of the city, where he sat next to Mongolia’s President Ukhnaagiin Khulelsukh.
Francis addressed the president, diplomats, and cultural leaders in the state palace. He praised Mongolia’s long tradition of religious tolerance, noting this tolerance existed before and during the Mongol Empire’s expansion across vast swathes of the globe.
Francis told The Associated Press that “the fact that the empire was able to embrace such distant and diverse lands over centuries is a testament to the remarkable ability your ancestors had to recognize the outstanding qualities of peoples present on its vast territory and to use these qualities to the service of a shared development.” “This model is something we should value and use in our day,” he said.
The Mongol treatment towards religious minorities was a bit complicated. On the one hand, there was a degree of religious tolerance and freedom. On the other, there were brutal and ruthless attacks. In some ways, the Catholic Church benefited from increased access to Asia. However, centers of Christian life suffered as well. All comments from legitimate commenters are manually approved by our team. Please allow us up to 24 hour to manually approve any comment that is marked “Awaiting Moderation”. Please do not post the same comment again.
