CNN —Pope Francis urged Chinese Catholics to be “good citizens” and “good Christians,” a rare instance of the Holy Father publicly addressing the issue of religion in China. Mongolia is sandwiched between Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine Francis has publicly criticized, and China, an atheist state where religious practice is heavily curtailed by the government. And to the Chinese Catholics, I ask you to be good Christians and good citizens.”Pope Francis leads Mass at the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar on Sunday. Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty ImagesChina may be officially an atheist state, but religious practice is legal in the country – albeit under tight government supervision and surveillance. Francis landed in Mongolia Friday for a trip that has lacked the usual fanfare of a Papal visit.

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Persons: Pope Francis, Francis ’, Pope, Ukraine Francis, Stephen Chow, Cardinal John Tong, ”, Francis, Hong, “, ” Pope Francis, Mass, Pedro Pardo, Pontiff Organizations: CNN, Hong Kong’s, Getty, Vatican News, Mongolian, Sunday Locations: China, Mongolian, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Vatican, Beijing, AFP, Russian