(Updates throughout with address in Ulaanbaatar cathedral)
By Philip Pullella
ULAANBAATAR, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, in words that appeared to be aimed at China rather than the neighbouring country he was visiting, said on Saturday that governments have nothing to fear from the Catholic Church because it has no political agenda.
Francis, 86, made his comments in Mongolia, which has only 1,450 Catholics and where the tiny Church has good relations with a government that has expressed appreciation for its social, health and charitable activities.
On his first working day in Mongolia, the government feted the pope with traditional events such a parade including men on horseback dressed as ancient Mongol warriors.
In an address to bishops, priests, missionaries and pastoral workers, he said Jesus gave no political mandate to his apostles but told them to alleviate the sufferings of a "wounded humanity" through faith.
"For this reason, governments and secular institutions have nothing to fear from the Church’s work of evangelization, for she has no political agenda to advance, but is sustained by the quiet power of God's grace and a message of mercy and truth, which is meant to promote the good of all," he said.
Beijing has been following a policy of "Sinicisation" of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party. A landmark 2018 agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops has been tenuous at best, with the Vatican complaining that Beijing has violated it several times.
Francis spoke at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, a small church built in the shape of a ger - a traditional round, nomadic tent-like home - that venerates a statue of the Virgin Mary found in the garbage 10 years ago.
In the audience was Hong Kong's top Catholic cleric, Archbishop Stephen Chow, who in April made the first visit to the Chinese capital by a bishop of the former British colony in nearly 30 years.
Chow, who will be a made a cardinal by the pope this month, told reporters he hoped the Church in Hong Kong could be a "bridge Church" with mainland China.
A CHURCH OF THE WORLD
Leading a delegation of about 40 Catholics from Hong Kong, Chow said the Catholic Church in Asia was growing and in a position two help Catholics from the East and the West better understand each other.
He said the pope taking the trouble to travel such a long way to visit such a small congregation showed "that the Church is expanding to the peripheries. The Church is not (just) the Church of Rome".