Pope meets Rohingyas, leads open-air mass in Bangladesh

Dhaka : Pope Francis on Friday apologised for the “indifference” of the world towards the plight of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community as he referred them by their ethnic name publicly here for the first time during his historic tour to Asia. Over 620,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh following a crackdown by the Myanmar military in response to attacks on security forces by Rohingya militants. Pope also celebrated a huge open–air mass and ordained 16 Bangladeshi priests on the second day of his historic three-day visit to the Muslim- majority country.

Francis, who is on a three-day visit to Bangladesh, met a group of 16 Rohingya refugees who were brought to Dhaka from their makeshift camps in Cox’s Bazar, bordering Myanmar. In a moving encounter, Francis blessed them, held their hands and intently listened to their heart-rending tales of escape from the Buddhist-majority nation, in an apparent show of public solidarity towards Asia’s worst refugee crisis in decades. “The presence of God today is also called Rohingya,” the the 80-year-old pontiff told the group. He also apologised for the “indifference” of the world towards Asia’s worst refugee crisis in decades. “I ask for your forgiveness for the indifference of the world,” Francis told a group of Rohingyas at the archbishop’s palace in Dhaka. “In the name of all of those who have persecuted you, hurt you, I ask forgiveness. I appeal to your large hearts to give us the forgiveness that we are asking,” he added. “Let us not turn away” from it, he further said.

This is the first time Francis used the term “Rohingya” during his South Asia tour. The Pope had been criticised by rights groups for not using the term in Myanmar, whose military has been accused of ethnic cleansing by the UN.  Myanmar’s government rejects the term Rohingya, labelling the community “Bengalis”. Francis also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Vatican embassy.

Rohingya crisis: Suu Kyi meets Xi

Beijing: Amid the Rohingya refugee crisis, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday met President Xi Jinping, days after her country’s military chief visited China as it seeks to mediate between Myanmar and Bangladesh to resolve the problem. Xi met Suu Kyi, who is visiting here to attend the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) ‘Dialogue with World Political Parties’ meeting, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Several leaders of political parties from different countries are expected to attend the meeting. Suu Kyi’s visit to China assumes significance as it comes close on the heels of Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s trip to Beijing on November 24 during which he met Xi besides top Chinese military officials.