Pope Francis is due to arrive in Ulaanbaatar on Friday morning to kick off a trip to Mongolia, the first by a pope to the East Asian country.
The head of the Catholic Church is scheduled to rest after his arrival after a long flight from Rome, and plans to start his official schedule only on Saturday.
He is set to meet with Mongolian leaders, public figures and representatives of civil society.
Francis is the first pope to visit the landlocked country, which lies between Russia and China.
Immediately after his arrival, he is to be officially welcomed at Genghis Khan Airport and spend the remainder of the day resting.
The 86-year-old plans to stay in the East Asian country until Monday.
Francis is expected to meet the Mongolian leadership on Saturday. He then plans to give his first talk and meet with clergy.
There are only about 1,500 Catholics in Mongolia out of a population of more than 3 million. The main religions in the country are Buddhism and shamanism.
Francis aims to bolster the small Catholic community and promote dialogue between the religions during his visit.
A meeting of representatives of several religions is scheduled for Sunday.
