Chinese Catholics flocked to Mongolia over the weekend to greet the pope and enjoy a public display of faith unthinkable in their country, while keeping a “low profile” for fear of reprisals.
China is home to some 12 million Catholics who have been torn for decades between religious celebrations strictly supervised by the Communist Party and underground churches supported by the Vatican.
The Pope’s very first visit to Mongolia, at the northern gates of China, prompted several of them to make the trip to see the sovereign pontiff in person, while remaining discreet to avoid reprisals on their return to the country.
In the main square of the capital of Ulan Bator, where the faithful gathered to see the pope, several of them wore masks and sunglasses to hide their faces.
A Chinese woman told AFP that she and her traveling companions were forced to “keep a low profile”, even though a Chinese flag was unfurled in the square.
“At customs we were asked if we were Catholics, we said we were sightseeing,” said this woman who prefers to keep her name quiet. There is “a lot of pressure on Catholics in China”, she justified.
“We also fear that when we return, we will be invited into conversations,” she said, a euphemism for summonses to security service interrogations.
This woman came to Mongolia with twenty other people from northern China and with the utmost discretion. “We don’t take the risk of others knowing about our journey,” she says.
The Chinese Communist Party is officially atheist and exercises strict control over religious institutions, including monitoring sermons and selecting bishops.
For years, Pope Francis has struggled to establish ties with Beijing, and the Holy See in 2018 reached an agreement with China allowing him too to have a say in the selection of prelates in the country.
The faithful met by AFP in Mongolia hope that the links will strengthen even more and some even dream of a papal visit.
“I hope the pope will come to China,” a 75-year-old Catholic named Kong told AFP. The two parties “should engage in diplomatic discussions”.
Tamir Amarjargal, a 26-year-old tourist from China’s Inner Mongolia region, has the same wish, even though he’s not a Catholic himself. “It’s very rare for the pope to go to Asia,” he admits, however.
Lu Lei, an oil engineer from the northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang, is also not a believer but told AFP that he is interested in Catholic culture.
In preparation for his visit to Mongolia, the 38-year-old said he watched “The Young Pope”, a parody TV series featuring an ultra-conservative American pope played by Jude Law.
“I too hope that the pope will visit China,” he said, assuring that “every country should let people practice their religion freely.”
Formally, China’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but NGOs say religious organizations routinely face persecution and freedom of worship is curtailed, a trend believed to have intensified during President Xi’s tenure.
“We cannot enter churches on crucial days like Easter or Christmas” due to intimidation by the authorities, said a Chinese visitor to Ulaanbaatar. The authorities say “one thing but do another”, he says.
On Saturday, the pope tried to convince countries like China that they had no reason to distrust the Church or believers. “Governments […] have nothing to fear from the evangelizing action of the Church, because the latter has no political agenda to pursue”, he assured.
02/09/2023 14:55:11 – Ulaanbaatar (AFP) – © 2023 AFP