Pope Francis met Nov. 29 with members of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, a government-appointed group of senior Buddhist monks who oversee some 500,000 monks and novices in Myanmar, where close to 90 percent of the population follows Buddhism.
The plight of the ethnic Muslim minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine state was front and center in speeches by Pope Francis and Aung San Suu Kyi, but neither publicly used the word Rohingya.
Greeted by two dozen children wearing traditional attire and by the nation’s bishops, Pope Francis arrived in Myanmar Nov. 27 for a four-day visit.
By visiting Myanmar in late November, Pope Francis said he wants to strengthen Catholics in their commitment to faith and charity and to encourage all efforts “to build harmony and cooperation” among people of all religions.
