Pope Francis has said that he wept as he greeted 16 members of Burma’s Rohingya minority who had found shelter in Bangladesh.
“I was crying, but tried to hide it,” he told reporters on his flight back to Rome last Saturday. “They were crying too.”
In a spontaneous address the Pope said that, while each human being was created in the image and likeness of God, often people desecrated that image with violence.
“Today, the presence of God is also called ‘Rohingya’. They, too, are images of the living God,” Pope Francis said at the gathering, attended by Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu leaders in Dhaka.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” he told the crowd, “let us show the world what its selfishness is doing to the image of God.
“Let’s keep helping” the Rohingya, he said. “Let’s continue working so their rights are recognised. Let’s not close our hearts. Let’s not look away.”
The Rohingya, like all people, are created in God’s image, the Pope said. “Each of us must respond.” The refugees had travelled to Dhaka from Cox’s Bazar, the southern Bangladeshi city hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled Burma. More than 620,000 Rohingya have crossed the border into Bangladesh since late August.
Speaking to them, Pope Francis said: “We are all close to you.” In comparison to the suffering they had endured, he said, the response of the people at the gathering was small. “But we make room for you in our hearts … In the name of all those who have persecuted you and have done you harm, especially for the indifference of the world, I ask forgiveness,” he said.
Pontiff urges Catholics to bring hope to Burma
Pope Francis has asked young Catholics in Burma to bring “hope to the Church, to your own country and to the wider world”.
Celebrating Mass in Yangon’s St Mary’s Cathedral, the Pope said he wanted to speak to the young people as a grandfather.
The cathedral was packed full of teenagers and young adults. Despite their numbers, the atmosphere was hushed. Thousands filled the gardens outside.
The Bible, he told them, “asks us to think about our place in God’s plan” and to proclaim God’s love and mercy.
The Pope’s advice was to find a place away from the noise and distractions of modern life where they could learn to listen to God in prayer. He encouraged them to rely on the help of the saints, who were men and women who made mistakes but learned to trust in God’s mercy.
“You know that Jesus is full of mercy,” the Pope said. “So share with him all that you hold in your hearts: your fears and your worries, as well as your dreams and your hopes.
“Cultivate your interior life, as you would tend a garden or a field. This takes time. It takes patience. But like a farmer who waits for the crops to grow, if you wait the Lord will make you bear much fruit.”
Pope ordains Bangladeshi priests
Pope Francis told 100,000 Catholics in Bangladesh to pray for their priests at a Mass where he ordained 16 men to the priesthood.
The Pope thanked those who had travelled to get to the Mass, noting that some had spent two days travelling. “This shows the love you have for the Church … Thank you so much.”
He added: “Some of you might ask ‘But, father, how do I support priests?’ … Your generous hearts will tell you. But the first support of priests is prayer.”
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