Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday to greet its tiny Catholic contingent, having earlier sent a blessing of "unity and peace" from his plane to China, with which the Vatican has had difficult relations.
The 86-year-old pontiff, whose health has become more frail in recent years, arrived at Ulaanbaatar airport on a chartered ITA Airways plane with his large entourage and accompanying reporters.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Francis was pushed past rows of Mongolian guardsmen wearing ornate blue and red uniforms and holding rifles after he left the plane. He then exchanged some handshakes before entering a car and being whisked away.
His first event in Mongolia, a predominantly Buddhist country with just 1,450 Catholics, is on Saturday, when he addresses government leaders and the diplomatic corps.
Visiting places where Catholics are a minority is part of Francis's policy of drawing attention to people and problems in what he has called the peripheries of society and of the world. He has not visited most of the capitals of Western Europe.
As is customary, Francis issued greetings to every country he flew over on his way to Mongolia including China, with which the Vatican has had difficult relations.
Reuters
More about:
