For the first time on his Asia tour, Pope Francis referred to the Rohingya people by name yesterday and assured them of continued support so that they can get their rights back.

"The presence of God today is also called Rohingya," the Pope said at an interfaith audience at Kakrail Catholic Church where leaders of different faiths prayed for inter-religious harmony and global peace.

He met 16 Rohingyas -- 12 men, two women and two children -- who were brought to the cathedral premises with approval from the government and under the supervision of Caritas Bangladesh.

The highest spiritual leader of the Catholics heard the Rohingya people, held their hands and touched them as they walked to the dais one by one and shared their experiences in brief.

Among them was Shawkat Ara, a 12-year-old Rohingya orphan, who broke down in tears shortly after the Pope spoke to her and gently touched her head.

She fled to Bangladesh after losing her entire family in an attack by the military in Myanmar.

"Your tragedy is very hard, very big. We give you space in our hearts," said the pontiff, who arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday afternoon after a three-day visit to Myanmar.

"In the name of all those who persecute you, who have persecuted you, those who have hurt you, above all for the indifference of the world, I ask for forgiveness, forgiveness." Francis said in improvised comments.

"Many of you talked to me about the great heart of Bangladesh, which offered you refuge. Now I appeal to your heart to give us the forgiveness we are asking from you," he told the group of refugees.

“We will not close our hearts for you," he said.

Earlier this year from the Vatican, the pope twice defended the Rohingya by name, once saying that they had been "tortured, killed simply because they wanted to live their culture and their Muslim faith".

The Pope's avoidance of the word, Rohingya, in Myanmar was an issue of dismay of the rights activists who termed the atrocities of Myanmar security forces against the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing, genocide and crimes against humanity.

Pope Francis prays with Rohingya refugees during an interreligious meeting in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: Reuters, BSS

Over 636,000 Rohingyas fled violence in Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25. Some four lakh more had fled in the previous years from Myanmar's Rakhine State where they are deprived of citizenship and many other basic rights.

Pope Francis arrived at the programme venue of the Kakrail Catholic Church on a rickshaw at 4:30pm amid huge applauds and a Bangla song welcoming a religious leader who is known for championing the rights of refugee.

As the Pope took his seat on the dais, wearing a white cassock in symbol of peace, the programme began with the national anthem of Bangladesh.

Addressing the unique function that was featured by musical and dance performances by artistes from Banglee as well as Khasia, Santal, Oraon and Mandi communities, Pope Francis said it was a "highly significant moment in my visit to Bangladesh".

“For we have gathered to deepen our friendship and to express our shared desire for the gift of genuine and lasting peace.”

He told the gathering of some six thousand people that the meeting is a clear sign of the efforts of religious leaders and followers to live together with mutual respect and good will.

The pontiff receives a gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Photo: Reuters, BSS

In Bangladesh, where the right to religious freedom is a founding principle, this commitment stands as a subtle yet firm rebuke to those who would seek to foment division, hatred and violence in the name of religion, he added.

“It is a particularly gratifying sign of our times that believers and all people of good will feel increasingly called to cooperate in shaping a culture of encounter, dialogue and cooperation in the service of our human family.”

However, it entails more than mere tolerance, he said.

"It challenges us to reach out to others in mutual trust and understanding, and so to build a unity that sees diversity not as a threat, but as a potential source of enrichment and growth.

Rides a rickshaw, Photo: Reuters, BSS

“It challenges us to cultivate an openness of heart that views others as an avenue, not a barrier."

He said “openness of heart” is the condition for a culture of encounter and compared it to a door, which enables communities to embark on a dialogue of life, not a mere exchange of ideas.

Openness is engaging fruitfully with another and sharing distinct religious and cultural identity, but always with humility, honesty and respect, he added.

The Pope said openness of heart is likewise a path that leads to the pursuit of goodness, justice and solidarity. It leads to seeking the good of our neighbours.

"Religious concern for the welfare of our neighbour, streaming from an open heart, flows outward like a vast river, to quench the dry and parched wastelands of hatred, corruption, poverty and violence that so damage human lives, tear families apart, and disfigure the gift of creation.”

Meets a Rohingya girl. Photo: Reuters, BSS

He said Bangladesh's different religious communities have embraced this path in a particular way by their commitment to the care of the earth and by their response to the natural disasters that have beset the nation in recent years.

He said he too thinks of the common outpouring of grief, prayer and solidarity that accompanied the tragic collapse of Rana Plaza, which remains fresh in the minds of all.

"In this these various ways, we see a clear confirmation that how the path of goodness leads to cooperation in the service of others."

[With inputs from CNN, AFP, Reuters]