Pope Francis answers questions from journalists aboard his flight from Geneva to Rome June 21. He clarified his position on the issue of communion for Protestant spouses of Catholics during the flight, saying that the problem was not the subject matter of the debate, but that the decision should be made by individual bishops, not at the conference level. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See GERMANY-BISHOPS-COMMUNION June 27, 2018. A day after appealing for an end to the violent persecution of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, the Vatican announced Pope Francis will visit the country in late November.
After the visit on November 27-30 to the cities of Yangon and Naypyitaw in Myanmar, the Pope will travel on to Dhaka, Bangladesh, from November 30 to December 2, the Vatican announced on Monday.
After praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said he was saddened by the news “of the persecution of a religious minority, our Rohingya brothers and sisters”.
Clashes
News media reported violent clashes on August 25-26 after Rohingya fighters attacked 30 police stations. More than 100 people, mostly insurgents, have been reported killed, according to the BBC.
Most of the Rohingya population in Myanmar’s Rakhine state have been denied citizenship in Myanmar, which is predominantly Buddhist. About 120,000 Rohingya are trapped in internally displaced person camps near the state capital, Sittwe. A further 400,000 live in the state’s north, which is currently under martial law.
Media is forbidden to travel to the region, but reports of atrocities by the military, including rape, murder and burning villages, have leaked over the past year. The United Nations says more than 170,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, in the past five years.
“I would like to express my full closeness to [the Rohingya],” the Pope said. “Let us ask the Lord to save them, and to raise up men and women of goodwill to help them, that they may be given full rights.”
The Pope also prayed for the victims of monsoon floods in Nepal, India and Bangladesh.
The devastating floods have claimed the lives of over 1,200 people and displaced millions, the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera reported.
“I express my closeness to all the affected populations and I pray for the victims and for all who suffer due to this calamity,” Pope Francis said.