Pope Francis plants a tree during his visit to the National Martyrs’ Memorial of Bangladesh in Savar, some 30 km from Dhaka, on Thursday.
Dhaka, Nov. 30: Pope Francis on Thursday arrived in Bangladesh on a key visit likely to be dominated by the issue of Muslim Rohingya refugees who have fled neighbouring Myanmar.
A red carpet was rolled out as the Pope arrived here on a special aircraft after wrapping up his Myanmar tour during which he sent out a message that justice and human rights are the foundation of peace, in an apparent reference to the Rohingya crisis.
President Abudul Hamid received the pope at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
A contingent of Bangladesh's armed forces gave him a guard of honour. His programmes include a visit to the National Memorial for Liberation War martyrs, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and join a civic reception at Bangabhaban presidential palace.
It the second leg of Pope's tour to the region amid heightened Rohingya crisis.
About 620,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine
State to Bangladesh since August to avoid military crackdown at their home.
This is the second visit to Bangladesh by a pope. Pope John Paul II had visited the country in 1986.
On Thursday, the pontiff wrapped 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 percent 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 fourday 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 publically represented a failure of moral leadership.
A spokesman late Wednesday said the Pope's presence alone drew attention to Myanmar's myriad troubles and his “moral authority” remained undimmed.
Francis had previously expressed concern over the Rohingya's persecution. — PTI. AFP
◗ A contingent of Bangladesh's armed forces gave him a guard of honour. His programmes include a visit to the National Memorial for Liberation War martyrs, Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and join a civic reception at Bangabhaban presidential palace