The Pope's visit to Mongolia sent clear signs of friendship to Beijing and President Xi Jinping but signs from Beijing were not encouraging
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00:00 While Pope Francis praised the great history of the Mongolian people during his historic
00:06 trip to Ulaanbaatar, over the Chinese border that same history was being removed from bookstores.
00:13 The authorities in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ordered the withdrawal of
00:17 a 2004 book entitled "General History of the Mongols" describing it as an example of historical
00:25 nihilism. Beijing also prevented Chinese Catholics from going to the Pope in Mongolia, but the
00:32 Pope sent messages of warm friendship towards Beijing.
00:39 Some of the decisions by Beijing around making bishop appointments without consulting the
00:47 Vatican, of course the arrangement is that Beijing, from what we understand the arrangement
00:55 to be, is that Beijing is able to select candidates to be bishops and the Pope ratifies them.
01:07 The Catholic Church is increasingly present in Asia, in Hong Kong and in Taiwan, and both
01:12 are areas which are observed with great attention by the USA.
01:18 Trump administration's criticism of the Vatican, with Biden it's much calmer now, but I would
01:26 say that there is definitely a difference in approach. You have to remember the Pope
01:33 does not see himself as the chaplain to the West, he is leading a global church.
01:39 [SWOOSH]