No bishop from mainland China has been allowed to travel to Mongolia as Pope Francis makes the first-ever visit by the leader of the Catholic Church to this vast landlocked country sandwiched between China and Russia.

Pope Francis’ weekly address calls believers to bear our daily crosses with patience and hope in the example of St. Káteri Tekakwitha, the first native North American woman to be canonized.

The head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church said Ukrainians were shocked when Pope Francis told Russian Catholic youths to be proud of their heritage and cited two historic Russian leaders that, the archbishop said, are “the worst example of imperialism and extreme Russian nationalism.”

Pope Francis will visit Mongolia’s 1,400 Catholics from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. What do they expect from the pope's visit?

Pope Francis commented that the situation in the Catholic Church in the United States is “not easy,” where “there is a very strong reactionary attitude” that “is organized and shapes the way people belong, even emotionally.”

Francis' weekly address calls believers to draw from Our Lady of Guadalupe to evangelize with courage given from the Mother.