DHAKA: Pope Francis on Thursday arrived in Bangladesh, the place hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya refugees have sought sanctuary after fleeing a crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar, in the second one stage of a excursion dominated by means of the plight of the persecuted minority.
The pope will spend 3 days in mainly-Muslim Bangladesh, which could also be grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism that has seen Catholics attacked for their religion.
In Myanmar he walked a diplomatic tightrope, staying away from allegations that the military is waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims, despite drive to confront the incendiary factor publically.
He additionally refrained from mentioning the minority by means of name all over his four-day travel by which he held two masses and personal conferences with civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and strong military chief Min Aung Hlaing.
In Dhaka he'll meet one of the crucial refugees from the Rohingya neighborhood, whom he has described as his "brothers and sisters", and led a mass for Bangladesh's tiny Catholic minority.
Nearly a million refugees from the Muslim minority now languish in camps at the border and the Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper, said in a piece of writing Thursday it was hoping he may just trade their fate.
"Thanks to the large body of evidence documenting severe rights abuses of the Rohingya minority of Myanmar, the extent of the atrocities carried out by Myanmar's security forces is known to all," it said.
"We remain hopeful that given Pope Francis' legacy of standing up for the oppressed, he will speak out against the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya during this very important visit."
Myanmar's govt denies the Rohingya are an ethnic team, insisting they are "Bengali" immigrants who don't seem to be entitled to full citizenship.
But the Vatican has rejected suggestions that the pope's reticence to tackle the Rohingya disaster head-on represented a failure of ethical leadership.
A spokesman past due Wednesday said the pope's presence on my own drew consideration to Myanmar's myriad troubles and his "moral authority" remained undimmed.
"He's not afraid of minefields," Vatican spokesman Greg Burke advised a press convention, hinting the pope's discussions in personal will have been more strident.
Francis had been suggested not to utter the Rohingyas' name in Myanmar to avoid provoking hardline Buddhists and making the rustic's Catholic neighborhood a goal.
"He seemed to comprehend the dilemma he faced," David Mathieson, a Yangon-based analyst, advised AFP, applauding his diplomatic dexterity in a rustic the place the military still holds great energy.
"He is the Pope, not a pugilist... he was here to help the country work through this horrific humanitarian crisis and listen to both the civilian and military leadership."
The pontiff was warmly embraced by means of Myanmar's Catholics, who make up just over one percent of the population.
On Friday he'll lead a mass in central Dhaka this is expected to be attended by means of round 100,000 Bangladeshi Catholics.
The nation's Catholic neighborhood accounts for lower than 0.five percent of the population of 160 million and have for centuries lived in relative team spirit with their Muslim neighbours.
But the rustic has seen a rise in Islamist assaults in recent times targeting spiritual minorities, foreigners and secular figures.
Pope Francis's consult with coincides with the disappearance of a Catholic priest on Monday in the same village the place suspected Islamist extremists hacked a Catholic grocer to demise final 12 months.
Walter William Rosario, 40, had been making arrangements for some 300 Catholics to shuttle to Dhaka for the pope's mass.
Since 2015 a minimum of 3 Christians, together with two converts from Islam, had been hacked to demise in assaults blamed at the militant Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
The pope will spend 3 days in mainly-Muslim Bangladesh, which could also be grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism that has seen Catholics attacked for their religion.
In Myanmar he walked a diplomatic tightrope, staying away from allegations that the military is waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims, despite drive to confront the incendiary factor publically.
He additionally refrained from mentioning the minority by means of name all over his four-day travel by which he held two masses and personal conferences with civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and strong military chief Min Aung Hlaing.
In Dhaka he'll meet one of the crucial refugees from the Rohingya neighborhood, whom he has described as his "brothers and sisters", and led a mass for Bangladesh's tiny Catholic minority.
Nearly a million refugees from the Muslim minority now languish in camps at the border and the Daily Star, a Bangladeshi newspaper, said in a piece of writing Thursday it was hoping he may just trade their fate.
"Thanks to the large body of evidence documenting severe rights abuses of the Rohingya minority of Myanmar, the extent of the atrocities carried out by Myanmar's security forces is known to all," it said.
"We remain hopeful that given Pope Francis' legacy of standing up for the oppressed, he will speak out against the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya during this very important visit."
Myanmar's govt denies the Rohingya are an ethnic team, insisting they are "Bengali" immigrants who don't seem to be entitled to full citizenship.
But the Vatican has rejected suggestions that the pope's reticence to tackle the Rohingya disaster head-on represented a failure of ethical leadership.
A spokesman past due Wednesday said the pope's presence on my own drew consideration to Myanmar's myriad troubles and his "moral authority" remained undimmed.
"He's not afraid of minefields," Vatican spokesman Greg Burke advised a press convention, hinting the pope's discussions in personal will have been more strident.
Francis had been suggested not to utter the Rohingyas' name in Myanmar to avoid provoking hardline Buddhists and making the rustic's Catholic neighborhood a goal.
"He seemed to comprehend the dilemma he faced," David Mathieson, a Yangon-based analyst, advised AFP, applauding his diplomatic dexterity in a rustic the place the military still holds great energy.
"He is the Pope, not a pugilist... he was here to help the country work through this horrific humanitarian crisis and listen to both the civilian and military leadership."
The pontiff was warmly embraced by means of Myanmar's Catholics, who make up just over one percent of the population.
On Friday he'll lead a mass in central Dhaka this is expected to be attended by means of round 100,000 Bangladeshi Catholics.
The nation's Catholic neighborhood accounts for lower than 0.five percent of the population of 160 million and have for centuries lived in relative team spirit with their Muslim neighbours.
But the rustic has seen a rise in Islamist assaults in recent times targeting spiritual minorities, foreigners and secular figures.
Pope Francis's consult with coincides with the disappearance of a Catholic priest on Monday in the same village the place suspected Islamist extremists hacked a Catholic grocer to demise final 12 months.
Walter William Rosario, 40, had been making arrangements for some 300 Catholics to shuttle to Dhaka for the pope's mass.
Since 2015 a minimum of 3 Christians, together with two converts from Islam, had been hacked to demise in assaults blamed at the militant Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
Pope lands in Bangladesh after contentious Myanmar visit
![Pope lands in Bangladesh after contentious Myanmar visit]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
December 01, 2017
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