Pope explains reasons behind not using word ‘Rohingya’

International Desk: After a week of taking some heat for not calling the Rohingya refugees by name in Myanmar, Pope Francis explained his controversial decision on Saturday, saying that he did not want to risk shutting down dialogue with the country's leaders.

"Had I said that word, I would have been slamming the door," the Pope told journalists on the flight back from Bangladesh.

"What I thought about it was already well known," Francis said, adding that he mentioned their plight on various occasions from the Vatican.

The Pope said in his private meetings he was able to go beyond his public words.

"I didn't have the pleasure of slamming the door publicly, a denouncement," the Pope said, "but I had the satisfaction of dialogue."

The Pope said he had made meeting the Rohingya a condition of going on the trip, but it had not been logistically possible to visit the refugee camps, although he would have liked to.

The Pope said he was initially annoyed that the Rohingyas were not treated properly by some of the event organizers who put them in a single-file line and rushed them through their meeting with the Pope.

"I even yelled a bit," Francis said. "Respect! Respect!"

Listening to their stories one by one, the Pope said he felt moved to make some spontaneous remarks.

"I don't know what I said but I know at a certain point I asked for forgiveness," the Pope said.

"I was crying," the Pope said. "I tried to hide it; they were crying, too."

Pope Francis arrived in Bangladesh on November 30 on a three-day visit after wrapping up his visit to Myanmar.

Source: CNN

risingbd/Dhaka/Dec 3, 2017/AI