The question facing Pope Francis now is whether, after all the political capital generated by the trip to Mongolia, he might be willing to spend a little of it to try to move the ball on a core concern.
Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage. One writer’s 40,000-mile journey through Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq reveals the ritual’s enduring transformational power.
In a tale of unexpected spiritual destiny, an 8-year-old boy, A. Altannar, born into a wealthy Mongolian mining family, has been declared the 10th reincarnation of the Bogd, a revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism.