IMAGE: CNS/Courtesy Holy See Press Office
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A day after appealing for an end 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 Nov. 27-30 to the cities of Yangon and Naypyitaw in Myanmar, the pope
will travel on to Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the Vatican said
Aug. 28.
After praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St.
Peter’s Square Aug. 27, Pope Francis said he was saddened by the news “of
the persecution of a
religious minority, our Rohingya brothers and sisters.”
News media reported violent clashes Aug. 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 are 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 neighboring 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.
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