Pope Francis ends Myanmar visit to Myanmar without talking mass slaughter of Rohingya
Yangon — On Thursday, Pope Francis wraps up a visit to Myanmar defined by his decision not to address the Rohingya crisis in public, and flies to Bangladesh, where huge numbers of refugees from the Muslim minority languish in refugee camps. Christians make up less than 0.5% of mainly Muslim Bangladesh, but have in recent years come under attack from Islamist radicals. Just days before Francis’ arrival, a Catholic priest disappeared in a village in northern Bangladesh. In Myanmar the pontiff walked a diplomatic tightrope, staying silent on allegations that the army is waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims. He also refrained from mentioning the minority by name during his four-day trip. Myanmar’s government denies the Rohingya are an ethnic group, insisting they are "Bengali" immigrants who are not entitled to full citizenship. But the Vatican rejected suggestions the decision not to confront the issue publicly represented a failure of moral leadership. Late on ...
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