Bishop Giorgio Marengo has roots in Italy and is expected to connect Europe and Asia in more ways than one

Making someone a prince of the Catholic Church in a sparsely populated Asian country sandwiched between communist China and authoritarian Russia has a lot to do with faith and pastoral demands. But its apparent geopolitical opportunity cannot be ignored.

By bestowing a red hat on Bishop Giorgio Marengo, 47, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Pope Francis, 85, found his youngest cardinal.

Bishop Marengo came to serve Mongolia in 2002, barely two years after his priestly ordination. Parish records show it to be a tiny mission with fewer than 1,300 Catholics in a population of 3.5 million, served by two Mongolian priests, 22 foreign missionaries and 35 nuns.

The East Asian nation’s newest and first cardinal-elect will be able to vote in papal conclaves for 33 years. There is a widespread perception among Vatican watchers that this will be Pope Francis’ last addition to the College of Cardinals and, therefore, he wants to put things in proper perspective.

The pope began to pay attention to small communities of the faithful scattered across the world, Italian-born Bishop Marengo said shortly after the pope announced his elevation in St. Peter’s Square.

“…I believe that the pope’s gesture was a missionary gesture, to express care and attention to a small community and to all the small communities of faithful scattered throughout the world, in those lands where they form a little herd,” he said.

Mongolia shares a 4,630 kilometer border with China and shares many cultural aspects with the people of the communist nation. China is home to more Mongols than Mongolia itself

He was referring to the small population of Catholics in the difficult terrain of Mongolia, and to Catholics in neighboring China and Russia, which have close ties to the United States, European Union and NATO.

Mongolia may be a democracy, but the landlocked Buddhist-majority nation is already a key transit point for the two autocratic regimes.

In the Ukraine conflict, Mongolia, a former Soviet satellite nation until 1990 and dependent on China as a market and channel for its copper and coal exports, remained neutral by refusing to join the NATO-led coalition by the United States against Russia.

Four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Mongolia signed a memorandum of understanding on the long-standing Trans-Mongolian Gas Pipeline Agreement that will supply Mongolia with gas from the Yamal fields in Siberia and will allow Russia to transport gas to China.

The EU gets 40% of its energy from Russia and reduces its dependence on it. Mongolia plays a vital role in finding markets for energy from Russia, which faces international sanctions led by the United States.

If the Ukrainian conflict drags on or China and Russia form an anti-Western alliance, Mongolia’s political orientation could change once and for all.

This does not mean that the West is deserting Mongolia, three times the size of France with half its population in the capital Ulaanbaatar. In May, Britain’s Minister of State for Asia, Amanda Milling, visited the country to coax him with Western talk.

Mongolia shares a 4,630 kilometer border with China and shares many cultural aspects with the people of the communist nation. China is home to more Mongols than Mongolia itself.

“Dialogue with the Buddhist world, the majority in Mongolia, is fundamental for us. This is part of our mission. I am sure it will bear good fruit.”

Although the Vatican has signed a secret pact with China over the appointment of bishops, the 2018 agreement is said to contain clauses against the Holy See bestowing the red hat on prelates living in China.

The Vatican has chosen the Catholic leader of Mongolia, who has anthropological ties to China, as its man in the region. In the event of a standoff between China and the West, the Vatican can use the youngest cardinal of Mongolia, a nation that sprawls between towering mountain ranges to the north and barren expanses to the south, as a go-getter.

The appointment also comes as Mongolia celebrates the 30th anniversary of the revival of the Church and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Holy See. The Church of Mongolia is part of the new Episcopal Conference of Central Asia.

“Dialogue with the Buddhist world, the majority in Mongolia, is fundamental for us. This is part of our mission. I am sure it will bear good fruit,” Bishop Marengo said as he led a Buddhist delegation to Rome at the time of his appointment.

Asia already has 15 cardinal electors. The new consistory will significantly increase Asian representation to 21 with six new cardinals from Asia. Although Africa also had 15 cardinal electors, only two prelates received the red hat this time. In this sense, the pope has put Asia ahead of Africa.

Already Papa Rosso, or the Red Pope, originated in Asia in Cardinal Luis Tagle, 64, from the Philippines. His position at the head of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is just behind the pope.

Cardinal Tagle last week received the additional charge of leading another important Vatican office – the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The selection of Bishop Marengo, who has roots in Italy, is a clear sign that the young cardinal should play a vital role in connecting the Church in Europe and Asia in more ways than one.

*The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

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