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Mongolia: Bishop wants catholics to stay calm, safe during state of emergency Print E-mail
Written by UCA News   
Friday, 04 July 2008
The head of the Mongolian Catholic Church has urged Catholics to remain calm and stay away from daily Mass during the four-day state of emergency the government imposed following post-election violence.

"Parishioners should be careful, and if the state of emergency exceeds the initially announced four days, they may stay away from Sunday Mass if they think their safety could be in danger," Bishop Wenceslao Padilla told UCA News on July 2.

"We cannot risk any injuries, so depending on the situation, some people may consider it wiser to stay at home," said the Immaculate Heart of Mary prelate, apostolic prefect of Ulaanbaatar.

As of July 2 evening, international media reported five people dead, 300 wounded and 700 arrested following violence in the Mongolian capital on the night of July over alleged fraud in the June 29 parliamentary elections.

President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared the four-day emergency at 11:30 p.m. on July 1, after opposition demonstrations in front of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) headquarters in the capital turned violent and the building was set on fire.

Opposition supporters were protesting preliminary results that showed the ruling MPRP winning a majority in parliament. The state of emergency bans protests and allows security forces to break up protests by force.

Armored vehicles, cars or bulldozers have since blocked roads in the center of the capital, and private cars are being detoured to the suburbs.

"It was quite shocking to see military tanks and soldiers in combat gear positioned around the city center, some key roads and the university in this otherwise-so-peaceful place," Bishop Padilla said.

He explained that he was at the airport to receive visitors both at night and early in the morning, and that the 30-minute drive took him more then two hours because of the roadblocks.

"Our Catholics keep phoning the residence and telling me to be careful, and we also informed our people that they should stay away from the city center," Bishop Padilla added.

"I am trying to follow the events on TV and radio, but all (private) TV channels, including the Evangelical Protestant-run Family Radio and Eagle TV channel, were closed down yesterday (July 1) at 11:30 p.m.," the bishop said. The state-owned national television and various FM radio stations continued to broadcast, he noted.

Although the violence seemed confined to the city center, some distance from where the three Ulaanbaatar parish churches are located, Catholics are concerned the violence may soon spread throughout the capital.

"My relatives from South Gobi province phoned at night to say that some 30 men set out with guns from the province toward the capital to protect the MPRP," a Catholic told UCA News on July 2, asking not to be named. "They (relatives) told us to be very careful because these people hear only the MPRP version of all events ... and believe it is their duty to fight for their party," the Ulaanbaatar parishioner said.

Father Stephen Kim, parish priest of St. Mary's Church in the capital, told UCA News his church is right opposite a suburban MPRP building, and that no violence had occurred in his part of the city.

Mongolia has 520 baptized Catholics, most of them in Ulaanbaatar. The three parishes and bishop's residence are in the city's eastern, western and southern suburbs.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 July 2008 )