Pope Francis on Saturday called on leaders to dispel the "dark clouds of war," speaking in a country sandwiched between two world powers - Russia and China - he has targeted in a Vatican diplomatic effort over Ukraine. On his first working day in Mongolia, Francis attended an elaborate outdoor welcoming service that included a parade spanning the centuries, ranging from soldiers in modern dress uniforms to men on horseback dressed like ancient Mongol warriors. He sat alongside President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, who wore a traditional robe, wide-brimmed Mongol hat and boots. Francis, 86 and in need of a wheelchair and cane, arrived in Mongolia on Friday and rested for the day to get used to the time difference. The primary purpose was to visit Mongolia's tiny Catholic community, which at 1,450 members in one of the smallest in the world.

 In a speech to the president, government leaders and the diplomatic corps, Francis said he was a "pilgrim of friendship who comes to you quietly". He spoke of Mongolian history, noting the vast country north of China is marking 860 years since the birth of Ghengis Khan, who united the Mongol tribes and instituted a period of peace known as the "Pax Mongolica". He gave the president a copy of a missive between Pope Innocent IV and the third Mongol emperor, Guyug, in 1246.

But then he took up modern-day issues. "May Heaven grant that today, on this earth devastated by countless conflicts, there be a renewal, respectful of international laws," he said. "May the dark clouds of war be dispelled, swept away by the firm desire for a universal fraternity wherein tensions are resolved through encounter and dialogue, and the fundamental rights of all people are guaranteed," he said. Francis has sent an envoy, Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to Kyiv, Washington and Moscow to discuss ways of ending the conflict in Ukraine and aiding humanitarian efforts. Zuppi is due to go to Beijing soon.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)