IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Cindy Wooden
YANGON, Myanmar (CNS) — Greeted
by two dozen children wearing traditional attire and by the nation’s bishops,
Pope Francis arrived in Myanmar Nov. 27 for a four-day visit.
The arrival ceremony at the Yangon
airport was brief and led by an envoy of the president, because the formal
welcome was scheduled for the next day in Naypyitaw, which has been the capital
since 2005.
However, Pope Francis had a “courtesy visit” with the
leaders of the nation’s powerful military. The pope and Gen. Min Aung Hlaing,
who was accompanied by three other generals and a lieutenant colonel, met that first evening in
the Yangon archbishop’s residence, where the pope is staying.
Greg Burke, director of the
Vatican press office, told reporters the meeting lasted 15 minutes. After
discussions about “the great responsibility authorities in the country
have at this moment of transition,” the two exchanged gifts.
The pope gave the general a medal
commemorating his visit to Myanmar and the general gave the pope “a harp
in the shape of a boat and an ornate rice bowl,” Burke said.
Pope Francis had been scheduled to
meet the general Nov. 30, his last morning in Myanmar. Although the country is
transitioning from military rule to democracy, the general has the power to
name a portion of the legislators and to nominate some government ministers. Although described by Burke as a “courtesy visit” and not an official welcome, the visit seemed to go against the usual
protocol, which would dictate that the pope’s first meetings with authorities would be
with the head of state and head of government.
Burke did not say whether Pope
Francis had mentioned in any way the plight of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority
from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, who are treated as foreigners in the country.
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has been criticized by human rights groups for what has
been described as disproportionately harsh measures against the entire Rohingya
community following attacks on security posts by small groups of Rohingya
militants.
The pope arrived in Myanmar after
a more than 10-hour, overnight flight from Rome. The children in costumes,
representing only a portion of Myanmar’s ethnic groups, were joined by another
100 schoolchildren wearing white slacks and white T-shirts with the logo of the papal visit.
Banners and billboards along the
road from the airport into the city proclaimed: “A heartiest welcome to
the Holy Father, Pope Francis.”
Because the flight took off late
at night, Pope Francis spent less time with reporters than he usually does. He
made no comment about his hopes for the trip, only mentioning that he was told
it was very warm in Yangon and he hoped the reporters would not suffer too
much.
As is customary, the pope sent
telegrams to the heads of state of all 13 nations he flew over on the way,
including Italy.
In his message to Italian
President Sergio Mattarella, Pope Francis said he was making the trip to Myanmar
and Bangladesh Nov. 27-Dec. 2 as a “pilgrim of peace, to encourage the
small but fervent Catholic communities and to meet believers of different
religions.”
The majority of people in Myanmar
are Buddhist, while the majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim. Pope Francis had
meetings with religious leaders scheduled in both countries.
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Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.
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