Pope praises Mongolia’s religious freedom dating back to Genghis Khan

Mongolian President Ukhnaagin Khurelsukh, right, claps Pope Francis (AP Photo/Remo Casilli, pool)

Pope Francis has praised Mongolia’s tradition of religious freedom dating to the times of its founder, Genghis Khan, as he opened the first papal visit to the Asian nation with a plea for peace and an end to the “insidious threat of corruption”.

Francis met President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh in a traditional Mongolian ger – a round yurt – set up inside the state palace in Ulaanbaatar, and wrote a message in the guest book that he was visiting “a country young and ancient, modern and rich of tradition”, as a pilgrim of peace.