Pope joins shamans, monks and priests in Mongolia to highlight harmony in faith

Pope Francis joined a meeting with religious leaders at the Hun Theatre, near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Louise Delmotte/AP)

With China’s crackdown on religious minorities as a backdrop, Pope Francis has joined Mongolian shamans, Buddhist monks and a Russian Orthodox priest to highlight the role that religions can play in forging world peace, as he presided over an interfaith meeting highlighting Mongolia’s tradition of religious tolerance.

Francis listened intently as a dozen faith leaders – Jewish, Muslim, Bahai, Hindu, Shinto and evangelical Christian among them – described their beliefs and their relationship with heaven.