A traditional musical performance opened Pope Francis' meeting with religious leaders of different faiths at the Hun Theatre in Mongolia's capital city.
During the encounter, various members of 11 religions shared their testimonies.
Your Holiness, I am pleased to welcome you to the Mongolian land. I am the rector of the only Orthodox church in Mongolia, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
In his message, Pope Francis emphasized an important aspect of Asian culture—harmony. He said that those with religious beliefs have a great responsibility in today's world to help cultivate it together with peace and dialgoue.
POPE FRANCIS
We are called to testify to the teachings we profess by the way we act; we must not contradict them and thus become a cause of scandal. There can be no mixing, then, of religious beliefs and violence, of holiness and oppression, of religious traditions and sectarianism.
Using the example of the ger, the traditional Mongolian dwelling, the Pope praised the country's friendliness. He challenged world leaders to use this openness to make an impact in the today's society.
POPE FRANCIS
If the leaders of nations were to choose the path of encounter and dialogue with others, it would be a decisive contribution to ending the conflicts continuing to afflict so many of the world’s peoples.
Every human individual, and even more every religion, must be measured by the standard of altruism. Not altruism in the abstract, but in the concrete: an altruism that translates into concern for others and generous cooperation with them.
The meeting included religious leaders from Buddhist, shamanic, Islamic and Orthodox religions. Pope Francis described the encounter as a sign that hope is possible, despite the conflicts, differences and violence in the world.
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