In a meeting with Mongolian Buddhists, Shamans, Shintoists, and other religious representatives, Pope Francis said Sunday that interreligious dialogue is “not antithetical to proclamation” but helps religious traditions to understand one another.
“With humility and in the spirit of service … the Church offers the treasure she has received to every person and culture, in a spirit of openness and in respectful consideration of what the other religious traditions have to offer,” Pope Francis said in a speech in Ulaanbaatar’s Hun Theater on Sept. 3.
“Religious traditions, for all their distinctiveness and diversity, have impressive potential for the benefit of society as a whole,” he added.
Pope Francis met with 12 religious leaders and representatives in the performing arts center on the Bogd Khan Uu mountain overlooking Mongolia’s capital city. The theater is built in the circular shape of a traditional Mongolian nomadic yurt dwelling called a “ger.” The rector of the only Orthodox church in Mongolia, Father Antony Gusev, represented the Russian Orthodox Church at the meeting.
In his speech, Pope Francis twice cited the “Dhammapada,” the most widely-read Buddhist text that is a collection of sayings of the Buddha.

Some 2,500 people filled the Steppe Arena stadium in Ulaanbaatar two hours before Pope Francis arrived for the afternoon Mass on Sept. 3, his final full day of the four-day visit to Mongolia.
When the 86-year-old arrived, the atmosphere was already abuzz with excitement and enthusiasm with a significant presence of young people. In several pockets inside the stadium, various dances were taking place, each carrying a unique Mongolian cultural essence.
Although the tiny Catholic Church here has only some 1,400 members, Mongolia houses an estimated 40,000 Christians. Hundreds of Catholics also came from South, Korea, Singapore, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
As the crowd filled the external ring of the stadium, an unexpected scene greeted people – popcorn vendors, much like those found at any entertainment spot. The juxtaposition of the sacred and profane painted a picture of the unity in diversity that defines the Catholic experience in Mongolia.
Amid the buzz, Mungunbolor Gantumur, a 30-year-old graduate of Don Bosco School in Ulaanbaatar, says she plans to have a unique business.
“Now my dream is to write quotes from the Bible and sell them,” said Gantumur, who has embarked on a journey as an artist specializing in Mongolian traditional calligraphy.
Mungunbolor is not Catholic but said she is “learning to become Catholic,” guided by the encouragement of her uncle, who suggested she explore Don Bosco School.

The Indonesian government announced a change in the use of terms referring to Jesus Christ in official documents responding to longstanding demands of Christians not to use Islamic terms.
In an announcement on Sept. 12, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, said that the government had decided to officially replace the term Isa Almasih with Yesus Kristus, the official term that Indonesian Christians use for Jesus Christ.
In official documents, such as in the list of national religious holidays, the government will use the term Yesus Kristus, he said.Bottom of Form
“The change in nomenclature was based on a proposal from the Ministry of Religion Affairs,” Effendy said during a conference.
He said the change of the nomenclature would be approved by a presidential regulation.
Saiful Rahmat Dasuki, Deputy Minister of Religion Affairs, said that the change was initiated by a proposal from Christians.
“This is a suggestion from Protestants and Catholics that the name of the nomenclature be changed to what they believe in,” he said.
In the official calendar, the government determines three national holidays related to Christianity, namely Christmas, Good Friday and the Ascension.
These Christian feasts have been associated with the term Almasih and are expressed as the birth of Isa Almasih, the Death of Isa Almasih and the Ascension of Isa Almasih.

Christian groups in Nepal have appealed for peace and religious harmony in the Hindu-majority country, following a spate of attacks against their people in the past two weeks.
The growing “incidents of attacks and abuse, particularly targeting Christian minorities, is worrisome,” said Father Silas Bogati, vicar general of the Vicariate Apostolic of Nepal, which covers the entire nation on the foothills of the Himalayas.
At least seven churches were attacked in Nepal in the last two weeks, Christian leaders say.
The latest attacks happened on Sept. 5 in Nepal’s Lumbini province when two churches were vandalized in the southern Nawalparasi district of Lumbini, along the border with India’s Uttar Pradesh state, leaders said.
“We have been raising our voices for religious harmony. Nobody should harm the feelings or sentiments of others’ religion,” Bogati told on Sept. 7.
The harassment and attack against Christians began after a video went viral on social media on Aug. 15, claiming the visuals showed members of an indigenous community eating beef in a village near Dharan town in eastern Nepal.
The cow slaughter and beef eating have hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, who consider the cow a revered animal, said Mohan Shrestha, spokesperson of Hindu right-wing party Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP or National Peoples’ Party).
“Some people from outside are inciting ethnic violence and disturbing the existing religious and social harmony in their attempt to push the country towards ethnic violence,” he said.
Hundreds of ethnic people in Nepal have become Christians in the recent past. Several Christian missionaries, including from South Korea, are active among ethnic groups, that local Hindus resist.

It’s just one of those news items that the Japanese rarely pay attention to. But it’s much more alarming than it sounds.
JR Tokai – the Central Japan Railway Company – is planning to increase the number of vending machines on platforms of stations where the “Shinkansen” or bullet train stops so that customers can purchase beverages and ice cream that are in high demand for in-car wagon sales.
Population decline, and not only in Japan, presents a multifaceted challenge with far-reaching consequences, some less obvious than others. How many would guess that a shrinking population can trigger a series of interconnected economic repercussions that lead to the erosion of comforts, luxuries, and even basic services?
You might think Japanese people barely noticed this news. No. Instead, an under-current of sentiment emerged across the Japanese online landscape, a collective grief for products quietly cherished.
Presently, the Tokaido Shinkansen bestows its passengers with the convenience of on-board refreshments, tantalizing snacks, and drinks accessible within the confines of its wagons, on all ‘Nozomi’ and ‘Hikari’ trains. Yet, the chronicle is set to shift as JR Tokai unveils its decision to withdraw this service by the end of October this very year.
“Population decline poses several dangers to economic stability”
Travellers already miss their favourite ice cream that will no longer be served by the impeccable staff, a woman properly dressed in the JR uniform.
This iconic ice cream creation was introduced around 1991, its inception an endeavour of a food manufacturer nestled in Tenpaku Ward, Nagoya City.
As per JR Tokai passengers, this frozen treat is an extemporary “luxury” that is affordable and could always be counted on, as, just like on airlines, it is served to you before every stop. But this basic service has been deemed too costly, so much so that vending machines will soon replace it.
Population decline poses several dangers to economic stability. One of the most immediate and pronounced effects is the reduction in consumer spending.
When the number of consumers diminishes demand for goods and services also contracts, thereby leading to decreased revenue for businesses. This, in turn, can result in cutbacks, downsizing, and closures in industries that heavily depend on sustained consumer interest.
So we should not really be surprised by the news about ice cream and coffee on the bullet trains. And there could be more similar “fatalities” to come.
“The decline in passengers due to a shrinking population will render services like onboard coffee sales economically unviable”
The loss of population-driven consumer demand can undermine industries that provide comforts and luxuries, often leading to a shift towards more utilitarian and cost-effective options.

85% of third grade children in Sri Lanka do not reach the minimum literacy and numeracy skills. The country ranks last in South Asia in terms of education spending”. Unicef has denounced him, citing a national survey con-ducted by the Ministry of Edu-cation.
According to Unicef, the learning crisis has hit the most vulnerable children most of all, including the youngest in primary school and those living in the plantation region. “Sri Lanka currently devotes less than 2% of its GDP to education, which is well below the international benchmark of 4-6% of GDP and among the lowest in the South Asian region,” the statement read. In partnership with the Sri Lankan government, the UN children’s agency has launched a nationwide initiative to help 1.6 million primary school children affected by prolonged school closures and sporadic disruption of education in the past three years, to catch up on their learning.
“It is urgent to increase the national budget allocation for education – commented the Minister of Education Susil Premajayanthe – especially for elementary classes, where it is necessary to enhance basic learning for children, while ensuring the implementation of vitally important education reforms so that we can build the strong human resource skills needed to support the country’s development.”

Bayanhushuu is a poor district on the outskirts of Ulan Bator where an expanse of dilapidated houses stands alongside thousands of ger, the traditional Mongolian tents: cheap residences for those who migrate from the surrounding steppes in search of a life less hard, but in the capital it is difficult to find opportunities for emancipation.
At the top of a barren hill, unexpected compared to the surrounding degradation, a large, modern red brick building stands out: it is the school run by the South Korean nuns of Saint Paul de Chartres, present since 1996 in Mongolia, where Pope Francis will is due to travel from 31 Au-gust to 4 September to encourage a Church born three decades ago and which has just 1,500 faithful.
“We opened this institute two years ago and today two hundred students from the neighbourhood attend it”, says the director, sr. Clara Lee Nan Young showing the welcoming and well-kept classrooms, the computer and English laboratories and the library.
If the children study here up to the age of high school, the younger ones are welcomed in the building next door, a Montessori kindergarten where crowds of children in uniform play blocks on the carpets that cover the parquet floors. From every detail the philosophy of these missionaries shines through: even the children of the most disadvantaged families have the right to the best educational offer.

After angry mobs of Muslims attacked a series of Christian homes and churches in Pakistan on August 16, the country’s Catholic bishops have called for justice and urged greater respect for minorities, saying a full investigation is necessary.
In a statement following the incident, Archbishop Benny Travas of Karachi voiced “shock and disbelief,” saying the Aug. 14 celebration of Pakistan’s Independence Day was a reminder that “Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis.”
Just 48 hours later, “we have once again been confronted with open hatred and uncontrollable rage shown towards the Christian community,” he said.
The incident happened Wednesday morning, when hundreds of Muslims attacked a Christian community in Jaranwala, an industrial district of Faisalabad in Pakistan, after apparently being prompted to do so by a nearby mosque loudspeaker. The crowd looted homes and burned or damaged around 22 churches after a Quran allegedly was desecrated by a young Christian man.
Several churches were set on fire by one mob, while another targeted private homes, setting them alight and breaking windows.
Wednesday’s attack happened after pages torn from the Quran were supposedly discovered near the Christian community with allegedly blasphemous content written on them. Those pages were then taken to a local religious leader, who reportedly told Muslims to protest and demanded that those responsible be arrested.
Angry protesters then went on their violent rampage. Due to the scale of the violence, government officials deployed additional police forces and sent in the army to help restore order. Several locals reported calling the police for help as the attack was unfolding, with no response.
According to the bishops, so far 128 people have been arrested in connection with Wednesday’s attack, including two people considered to bear primary responsibility for the destruction.

The Pakistan government has dropped a bill meant to protect the interests of its religious minorities on Aug. 9 amid civil society organizations calling for a stronger law to protect basic human rights. The National Assembly, Pakistan’s lower house, passed the draft law — the National Commission for Minorities Bill, 2023 — on Aug. 7.
However, the upper house, the Senate, did not table the bill for discussion on Aug.9, the last session of this government. Get the latest from UCA News. Sign-up to receive our daily newsletter
The bill now faces an uncertain future as the government recommended the dissolution of parliament to help the nation elect a new government within months.
Parliament dropped the bill amid opposition to it from the Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights (JAC), which includes Muslims and Christians. The committee said the bill does not ensure that the rights body will be “effective, independent, autonomous.”

As we know China has both official state-sanctioned churches (Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association) and unofficial underground churches that maintain their allegiance to the Vatican. Even though it is hard to estimate the total number of Catholics in China, figures always tend to range between 10 to 12 million.
To address the historical division between them, one significant development was the signing of the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in September 2018.
This agreement aimed to resolve the longstanding issue of conflicting appointments of bishops by both the Vatican and the Chinese government, which had led to divisions within the Catholic community in China.
Understanding the true situation on the ground regarding whether these agreements will effectively mend the division between the two faith communities is a challenging endeavour.
While assessing the well-being and vibrancy of the visible official Church is relatively straightforward, as it is openly visible, gauging the condition of the underground Church is a more intricate task due to the limited first-hand reports available.
I had a rare opportunity to directly witness a clandestine gathering within the underground Church, an experience that stands as a testament to its existence and uniqueness.
“I was introduced to the climate of caution and secrecy under which the Chinese ‘underground’ Church operates”
It was around eight years ago and I was venturing into one of China’s most captivating cities, Qingdao. Here one could easily get lost in the alleys of Badaguan, feeling a world apart from the sweeping empire of new riches that have sprouted concrete monstrosities across the Chinese landscape. In contrast, this neighbourhood boasts charming villas with red roofs due to its German inheritance.
Fate had it that on board a bus en route to the city centre, I encountered a Chinese nun in secular clothing. Noticing the wooden cross she wore around her neck — an uncommon sight in China — I struck up a conversation. She resided in the Philippines and was visiting her ailing mother.
She opened up about the underground Church, a distinct entity from the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association that does not recognize the pope’s authority. Almost instinctively, I inquired about the possibility of attending a “secret” Mass.