Relations between Moscow’s eastern neighbours remain largely in limbo, as they seek to reduce their dependence without severing ties with Russia for good. Meanwhile, in Bishkek, Xi Jinping has, yet again, rejected Putin’s call to unblock the ‘Power of Siberia 2’ gas pipeline project.
Today's headlines: at least 40 injured in Taiwan in passage of a typhoon; Pakistan shop owners close in protest over high bills; The ASEAN foreign ministers summit gets underway in Indonesia; Israel wants to expel Ethiopian asylum seekers; Kyrgyzstan has repatriated women and children linked to ISIS from Syria; Latvia wants to require citizens of foreign nationality to take a language exam.
The small Church of Mongolia that is currently meeting Pope Francis is closely connected to the Diocese of Ningxia in China, home until three years ago of the only Mongolian (underground) bishop in the history of the Catholic Church. Known in Chinese as Ma Zhongmu, he was jailed for 11 years for refusing to join the Patriotic Association. After the Cultural Revolution, he sought out each one of his scattered flocks. He translated the Bible and the Roman Missal into Mongolian.
At the interfaith meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Francis stressed sharing differences for the good of all. “There can be no mixing, then, of religious beliefs and violence, of holiness and oppression, of religious traditions and sectarianism.” In his address, he also quoted from Buddha and Gandhi. “And to Chinese Catholics: I ask you to be good Christians and good citizens.” Inspired by Fr Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, he mentioned the desert of Ordos, home to ethnic Mongolians in the People's Republic of China.
In the Mongolian capital, Francis praised Mongolia's non-nuclear status in his address to local authorities. In a city shaken by recent protests over a coal scandal, the pontiff spoke out against corruption "that impoverishes entire countries". In the cathedral, he met with the small local Church, urging simplicity and closeness to the people. Numbers and success are “not how God works.” He also blessed a statue of the Immaculate Conception found in a landfill, a great sign.
Today's news: After the Moon, India is aiming for the Sun. Australian police will remain in the Solomon Islands until the 2024 election. Papua New Guinea will open an embassy in Jerusalem. North Korea fires cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea. Trade between Russian republic and China jumps by 88 per cent. Attempts are made to solve the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Kremlin claims to have cut ties with the West and turned east, but the facts say otherwise. Putin's Russia has renewed with its old 19th century imperial image, captured by the mid-century Crimean War when Russia was at odds with everyone in the Old World. As Moscow neglects its Eurasian expanses, Beijing is stepping in to fill the gap.
Pope Francis will deliver a much-awaited speech tomorrow before Mongolia’s authorities and the diplomatic corps in the State Palace in the Mongolian capital. Russia is the country's main energy supplier but 90 per cent of its exports go to China. Meanwhile, “new” partners are lining up, eager for access to its mineral riches, starting with strategic rare earths. During his visit, the pontiff hopes to encourage steps towards peace.
Reception at Genghis Khan airport, official meetings begin tomorrow. On the plane to journalists, "The silence of this great country will do us good." During the flight the telegram to Xi Jinping: "I assure my prayers for the well-being of China and invoke unity and peace." But despite the Agreement with the Holy See, bishops from Inner Mongolia and other provinces in mainland China will not be allowed to attend the historic event.
Pope Francis flies out tonight on his historic trip to the country of the steppes. Kenyan-born Sister Anne Wangeci Waturu, head of Caritas Mongolia, speaks about it. “We try to meet the specific needs of people who live in peculiar social and weather conditions,” she says. This includes help to protect livestock and family gardens to deal with the consequences of climate change.
Today's headlines: Pyongyang launches two short-range missiles "to simulate a nuclear attack"; Sixteen die in T-shirt printing lab fire in the Philippines; A Palestinian teenager dies and three Israelis injured in new violence in the Middle East; A 90-year-old Japanese mountaineer on the summit of Mount Fuji in a wheelchair.
During rock group "The Killers" in Batumi, an incident revealed local population's impatience with Russian tourists. Which may not fail to influence in the election battle for the new Tbilisi parliament in 2024.
From the Mongolian capital the testimony of Sister Nirmala Rani, an Indian missionary for 21 years in the country. A visit was in the works in 2003, but Pope John Paul II’s health made it impossible. Mongolia is changing and the Church is trying to meet the challenge among young people. What do we expect from this visit? A powerful “experience of encounter with God”.
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