ICC Note: 

Citizens in Mongolia have suffered great religious oppression brutally enforced by Soviet secularism. Bishop Padilla stated that this left a spiritual emptiness in many, therefore causing multitudes to be drawn to the Gospel. Mongolia is caught between the two rapacious superpowers, China and Russia, both of which influence the country with communism. In communist countries, Christianity is looked upon as a threat to the sovereignty of the government. As a result, Christian persecution is intense in Mongolia. However, the Christian community went from very little converts to about 20 new souls every year. Additionally, the first native Mongolian priest in history was ordained on Aug. 28 in Ulaanbaatar. These events are worthy of celebrating.

10/04/2016 Mongolia (Daily News) – A rare flower has bloomed in the cold, empty deserts through which once thundered the marauding hordes of Genghis Khan.

Mongolia is an enormous landlocked country caught between the two rapacious superpowers, China and Russia, both of which still vie for influence, if not outright control, there.

In addition, temperature extremes range from -40ºF to 104ºF, which might explain Genghis Khan’s temperament and his eagerness to leave the country of his birth.

Now, in the wake of the spiritual and economic desolation wrought in the name of communism, shines a bright light.

Bishop Wenceslao Selga Padilla, apostolic prefect of Mongolia, spoke to the Register about his amazing success toiling in the Lord’s vineyards of Central Asia for 24 years. He originally came with two others missionaries, Fathers Gilbert Sales and Robert Goessens, to Mongolia on July 10, 1992.

Bishop Padilla, a native of the Philippines, belongs to the CICM Missionaries (Latin: Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae, or the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary). This men’s missionary religious congregation was established in 1862 by the Belgian priest Father Theophiel Verbist (1823-1868) in Scheut, Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels.

The congregation is responsible for missionary projects in China, Mongolia, the Philippines and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The community is informally known as Missionhurst.

The Catholic Church in Mongolia currently has 1,300 baptized faithful ― this represents .04% of the total population of less than 3 million. This fledgling community is cared for by 70 missionaries ― 22 men and 48 religious sisters ― from 22 countries and 12 different congregations. In addition, five lay missionaries/volunteers assist the Catholic mission there.

A mere 22 years ago, when Mongolia only had 2 million people spread across 604,600 miles (almost three times the area of Texas), it had zero native Catholics.

“The Catholic community in Mongolia grows by about 20 new souls every year,” Bishop Padilla said.

The first Mongolian child that Bishop Padilla baptized is now a practicing lawyer and the secretary for the Church community.

According to the bishop, there are 1,300 native Catholics in his care.

When the missionaries arrived in Mongolia, “There were basically no native Catholics, but the people were searching,” said Bishop Padilla.

The spiritual emptiness to which the bishop referred is a result of nearly a century of brutally enforced Soviet secularism that was antithetical to religion. “The people continue to have an implicit desire for God. They are starting to feel a curiosity towards believers,” Bishop Padilla explained. “To those who ask for information about us, we say: ‘Come, and you will see.’ Those who wish to become a Christian begin a catechumenal path that lasts two years.”

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