International lay Catholic groups are optimistic that the upcoming papal visit to Mongolia will serve to advance a legacy of enduring “tranquility, solidarity, and fraternity” in Northeast Asia.
Pax Romana International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) and International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) Asia Pacific said Pope Francis’ presence in Mongolia “holds a special significance” considering the current political situation in the region.
“In these times of heightened need for harmony, your role as an apostolic messenger of peace is more crucial than ever before,” the groups said in a letter addressed to Pope Francis.
The groups said the apostolic visit “will further promote a legacy of sustained tranquility, solidarity, and fraternity” and “strengthen global economic collaboration across the broader spectrum of our conflicted world”.
Pope Francis is set to visit Mongolia, which is home to some 1,500 Catholics, from August 31 to September 4. This will be the 43rd overseas trip in his pontificate.
The groups said Pope Francis’ visit is crucial amidst the rising tension in the Korean peninsula, Taiwan Strait, and territorial disputes in the sea in Southeast Asia.
According to the groups, with Mongolia’s “unique diplomatic approach,” the nation is “politically well poised” to amplify the pontiff’s “message of peace and mutual understanding”.
“Mongolia’s principled stance as the sole nation in Northeast Asia to proclaim itself a nuclear weapons-free zone has positioned her to cultivate amicable multilateral relationships with all her neighboring countries,” the groups said.
The groups also applauded the selection of Korea as the venue for the 2027 World Youth Day, which they said is expected “to show the young in our world ‘that another way is possible, a world of brothers and sisters, where the flags of all peoples fly together, next to each other, without hatred, without fear, without closing up, without weapons’.”
The groups also expressed hopes that the Holy See will consider visiting China and North Korea “in the not-so-distant future”.
“By casting a spotlight on these complex geopolitical issues, your presence could catalyze global attention and galvanize collective endeavors, aimed at promoting dialogue to facilitate enduring regional peace and stability,” the groups said.
