[1/3] A member of security stands outside Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral on the day Pope Francis meets with bishops, priests, missionaries, consecrated persons and pastoral workers at the cathedral, during his Apostolic Journey in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia September 2, 2023.
REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Acquire Licensing RightsULAANBAATAR, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A few Chinese Catholics came to sneak a peek at Pope Francis during an official welcome ceremony in the main square of Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar on Saturday, enthusiastically waving their country's flag.
The Vatican does not have diplomatic relations with China, instead recognising Chinese-claimed Taiwan, while China's Catholics have long been split between a state-backed official church and an underground flock loyal to the pope.
Brandishing red, five-starred Chinese flags, two dozen Chinese nationals who identified themselves as Catholic devotees crowded around a police barrier to catch a glimpse of Francis on Saturday morning.
Yang Guang, a 37-year-old Catholic from Shanghai, said he came to Mongolia for a holiday but was glad to catch a glimpse of the pope at Sukhbaatar Square.
Persons:
Saints Peter, Paul Cathedral, Pope Francis, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Francis, Yang Guang, I've, It's, I'm, Yang, Suzanne Willis, Willis, Xi Jinping, Joseph Campbell, Ben Blanchard, William Mallard
Organizations:
Saints, REUTERS, Reuters, Roman Catholic Church, Thomson
Locations:
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, ULAANBAATAR, China, Taiwan, Shanghai, Sukhbaatar, Hong Kong