Scottish Catholic Observer

He touched down in Myanmar on Monday, where he was greeted by children at the airport dressed in bright clothing from a number of minority groups, who presented him with flowers, while a group of nuns were also present among the many people who had journeyed across the country to wave flags as he travelled past to the archbishop’s residence, where he will stay.

The Buddhist-majority country has been at the centre of widespread accusation that they have been ethnically cleansing Rohingya Muslims, with General Hlaing denying ‘religious decrimination’ in a military campaign in Rakhine state.

He met with the army chief just hours after arriving in Myanmar, also known as Burma, with governments and rights groups have encouraged the Pope to pressure them over the treatment of Rohingya Muslims, which has seen over 600,000 Rohingya people flee the country.

The Holy Father is also due to meet with de facto leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, during his trip on Tuesday evening, who has come under fire for failing to speak out publicly about the plight of the Rohingya.

Many Rohingya have left Myanmar for the neighbouring country of Bangladesh since August, after attacks on police posts by Rohingya militants results in a military crackdown in Rahkine state.

The Pope will also travel to Bangladesh on Thursday to meet with a number of Rohingya refugees in Dhaka.

General Hlaing reported that he told the Pope ‘there’s no religious discrimination in Myanmar and there’s the freedom of religion’, according to his latest Facebook post, and it is not known how the Pope answered to this.

The Pope has previously talked of ‘our Rohingya brothers and sisters’ and decried the violence taking place, but has been advised by the country’s Catholic cardinal to avoid using it while in the country so as not to ignite local feelings.

Officials in Myanmar refrain from using the term Rohingya, choosing to call them Bengalis and saying that they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and should not be recognised as one of the nation’s ethnic groups, while Bangladesh denies they are its citizens.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told reporters on Monday that Pope Francis was taking advice he had been given about using the term “Rohingya” seriously, adding: “We will find out together during the trip… it is not a forbidden word.”

Myanmar says the crackdown is to stop violent insurgents, however it has been labelled by the UN as ‘textbook example fo ethnic cleansing’.

A deal was signed before the Pope’s visit between the two nations in order to return Rohingya refugees backa cross the border, however aid agencies have voiced their concerns about an forcible return.