Pope Francis says he’ll meet with Mongolia’s ‘noble, wise’ people in first visit there by a pontiff

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis says his visit later this week to Mongolia, the first-ever by a pontiff to that Asian country, is a much-desired occasion to meet with a “noble, wise” people. Speaking to the public on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, Francis called the trip an occasion to embrace the Catholic community there, describing the church in Mongolia as “small in numbers but lively in faith and great in charity.” Francis departs on Thursday, returning to Rome four days later. There are fewer than 1,500 Catholics in Mongolia, where some 3.2 million people live in one of the world’s least densely populated countries.