Source: Assoicated Press
By NICOLE WINFIELD
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has added in a private meeting with Myanmar’s military chief during his upcoming trip to the region in an indication that the Vatican views the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims as a military operation distinct from the will of the civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Vatican also confirmed Wednesday that Francis would meet with Rohingya Muslims during an interreligious meeting in neighboring Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Dec. 1.
Myanmar’s Catholic leaders have urged Francis against using the term “Rohingya,” calling it “political” and “contested.”
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke declined to say if Francis would use “Rohingya” during the visit, which begins Monday with Francis’ arrival in Yangon and ends Dec. 2 in Dhaka.
Categories: Asia, Myanmar, Pope Francis, Rohingya Muslims, The Muslim Times