Roman Catholicism in Mongolia
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Church in Mongolia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
and curia
in Rome
. There are around 760 Roman Catholics in the country who are served by three churches in the capital Ulaanbaatar
.
Roman Catholicism was first introduced in the 13th century during Mongol empire
, but died out with the demise of the Yuan Dynasty
in 1368. New missionary activity only set in after the Second Opium War
in the mid-19th century. A mission was founded for Outer Mongolia, giving Mongolia its first Roman Catholic jurisdiction, but all work ceased within a year when a communist regime came to power.
With the introduction of democracy in 1991, Roman Catholic missionaries returned and rebuilt the church from scratch. As of 2006, there is an Apostolic Prefecture
, a bishop, three churches, and diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Mongolia since 1992. Pope John Paul II
planned to visit Mongolia, and it is hoped that Pope Benedict XVI
will become the first Pope to visit.
came to the region. The leaders of the Mongol Empire
were traditionally tolerant of many religions, through Christianity was a key religious influence, primarily through the wives of the Mongolian khans, women from the Nestorian Kerait
clan. John of Montecorvino
was a key missionary to Mongol-controlled China during the Yuan Dynasty
, translating the New Testament
and the Psalms
into the Mongol tongue, founding the first Roman Catholic mission in Beijing
and becoming its first bishop.
Technically Mongolia had been covered by the diocese of Peking, and it was not until 1840, when a Vicariate Apostolic was divided from Beijing that Mongolia had its own Catholic jurisdiction. In 1883, a vicariate for Inner Mongolia
was created, and then a mission was created for Outer Mongolia
in 1922. Freedom of thought and religion were not permitted under communist rule.
of 1992 guaranteed religious liberty, and missionaries were sent to reconstitute the church. Missionhurst (the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) sent priests Fathers Wenceslao Padilla, Gilbert Sales and Robert Goessens to accomplish this mission once the Vatican had established diplomatic relations with Mongolia. Previous to their arrival, expatriates had been attending Protestant services. Initially, none of the missionaries knew Mongolian
, none of the native peoples knew English, and there were no Catholic liturgical texts
printed in Mongolian. By 1996, Father Wince Padilla and 150 parishioners were on hand at the dedication of the first Catholic Church in Mongolian history. In 1997 the first papal nuncio to Mongolia from the Vatican
was named. The new Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar
is shaped like a traditional ger
, with its circular tent shape and walls of thick felt.
of Mongolia, although the country is not yet a diocese
. Pope John Paul II
apologized for being unable to attend the opening himself, as he had been planning to visit Mongolia, a first for a Pope. He had originally been invited by the President of Mongolia during his visit to the Vatican in 2000. There are now 54 missionaries from various countries helping to build up the church, and 3 functioning parishes. The flocking of Christian missionaries has been notable since the fall of communism, and Catholicism grew from no adherents in 1991 to over 600 in 2006, including about 350 native Mongolians.
A Mongolian version of the Catholic Bible
was printed mid-2004; it is done in traditional Mongolian writing style and includes common Catholic prayers. The mission runs a kindergarten
, English classes, a technical school, soup kitchen
s, two farms, and a care center for 120 disabled children. Another course offered is how to deal with anger management
, in order to help stem violence against women
. The Verbist Center has also taken in 120 street children who had previously been living in Ulaanbaatar's sewer system. Christmas is not a national holiday in Mongolia, as the proportion of the population that is Christian is very low. A fourth parish was founded in 2007 in Darhan
, Mongolia's second-largest city. In 2008, Enkh-Baatar became the first Mongolian Catholic to join a seminary to become a priest. The Mongolian Catholics also dedicated its first Catholic grotto
in 2008.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and curia
Curia (Roman Catholic Church)
In Roman Catholicism, a curia consists of a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular Church. These curias range from the relatively simple diocesan curia, to the larger patriarchal curias, to the Roman Curia, which is the central government of the Catholic Church.Other...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. There are around 760 Roman Catholics in the country who are served by three churches in the capital Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
.
Roman Catholicism was first introduced in the 13th century during Mongol empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
, but died out with the demise of the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
in 1368. New missionary activity only set in after the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
in the mid-19th century. A mission was founded for Outer Mongolia, giving Mongolia its first Roman Catholic jurisdiction, but all work ceased within a year when a communist regime came to power.
With the introduction of democracy in 1991, Roman Catholic missionaries returned and rebuilt the church from scratch. As of 2006, there is an Apostolic Prefecture
Prefecture Apostolic of Ulaanbaatar
The Apostolic Prefecture of Ulaanbaatar is a Roman Catholic apostolic prefecture located in the city of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.-History:* March 14, 1922: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Outer Mongolia 外蒙 from the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Mongolia 中蒙古* 1924: Renamed as Mission “sui...
, a bishop, three churches, and diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Mongolia since 1992. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
planned to visit Mongolia, and it is hoped that Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
will become the first Pope to visit.
History
The Roman Catholic Church in Mongolia has ancient roots. Nestorian Christianity had been practiced since the 7th century, and in the 13th century, Western missionaries such as William Rubruck and Giovanni da Pian del CarpineGiovanni da Pian del Carpine
Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, or John of Plano Carpini or John of Pian de Carpine or Joannes de Plano was one of the first Europeans to enter the court of the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. He is the author of the earliest important Western account of northern and central Asia, Rus, and other...
came to the region. The leaders of the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
were traditionally tolerant of many religions, through Christianity was a key religious influence, primarily through the wives of the Mongolian khans, women from the Nestorian Kerait
Kerait
The Kereit tribe was one of the five major tribal confederations in Mongolian plateau in the 12th century, and dominant in the area and, as allies of Genghis Khan, influential in the rise of the Mongol Empire...
clan. John of Montecorvino
John of Montecorvino
John of Montecorvino or Giovanni da Montecorvino in Italian was an Italian Franciscan missionary, traveler and statesman, founder of the earliest Roman Catholic missions in India and China, and archbishop of Peking, and Latin Patriarch of the Orient.-Biography:John was born at Montecorvino...
was a key missionary to Mongol-controlled China during the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
, translating the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and the Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
into the Mongol tongue, founding the first Roman Catholic mission in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and becoming its first bishop.
Technically Mongolia had been covered by the diocese of Peking, and it was not until 1840, when a Vicariate Apostolic was divided from Beijing that Mongolia had its own Catholic jurisdiction. In 1883, a vicariate for Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
was created, and then a mission was created for Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was a territory of the Qing Dynasty = the Manchu Empire. Its area was roughly equivalent to that of the modern state of Mongolia, which is sometimes informally called "Outer Mongolia" today...
in 1922. Freedom of thought and religion were not permitted under communist rule.
Mission sui iuris (1991–2003)
The new Mongolian ConstitutionPolitics of Mongolia
Politics of Mongolia takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government...
of 1992 guaranteed religious liberty, and missionaries were sent to reconstitute the church. Missionhurst (the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) sent priests Fathers Wenceslao Padilla, Gilbert Sales and Robert Goessens to accomplish this mission once the Vatican had established diplomatic relations with Mongolia. Previous to their arrival, expatriates had been attending Protestant services. Initially, none of the missionaries knew Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
, none of the native peoples knew English, and there were no Catholic liturgical texts
Christian liturgy
A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....
printed in Mongolian. By 1996, Father Wince Padilla and 150 parishioners were on hand at the dedication of the first Catholic Church in Mongolian history. In 1997 the first papal nuncio to Mongolia from the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
was named. The new Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
is shaped like a traditional ger
Ger
Ger may refer to:*Ger , a Hasidic dynasty from Góra Kalwaria*Ger , the javelin of the Germanic tribe of the Teutons*Germany *German language *Granular endoplasmic reticulum *Gross Enrollment Ratio...
, with its circular tent shape and walls of thick felt.
Prefecture Apostolic (2003–Present)
On August 23, 2003, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe (head of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) arrived and consecrated Father Padilla as the first bishopBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Mongolia, although the country is not yet a diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
apologized for being unable to attend the opening himself, as he had been planning to visit Mongolia, a first for a Pope. He had originally been invited by the President of Mongolia during his visit to the Vatican in 2000. There are now 54 missionaries from various countries helping to build up the church, and 3 functioning parishes. The flocking of Christian missionaries has been notable since the fall of communism, and Catholicism grew from no adherents in 1991 to over 600 in 2006, including about 350 native Mongolians.
A Mongolian version of the Catholic Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
was printed mid-2004; it is done in traditional Mongolian writing style and includes common Catholic prayers. The mission runs a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, English classes, a technical school, soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
s, two farms, and a care center for 120 disabled children. Another course offered is how to deal with anger management
Anger management
The term anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger & aggression can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state...
, in order to help stem violence against women
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. The Verbist Center has also taken in 120 street children who had previously been living in Ulaanbaatar's sewer system. Christmas is not a national holiday in Mongolia, as the proportion of the population that is Christian is very low. A fourth parish was founded in 2007 in Darhan
Darhan
Darkhan is the second-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of Darkhan-Uul Aimag . It has a population of 74,300 .- History :...
, Mongolia's second-largest city. In 2008, Enkh-Baatar became the first Mongolian Catholic to join a seminary to become a priest. The Mongolian Catholics also dedicated its first Catholic grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
in 2008.