Pope tiptoes around ethnic group name

Myanmar speech omits mention of Rohingya

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar — Pope Francis insisted Tuesday that Myanmar’s future depends on respect for the rights of each ethnic group, an indirect show of support for Rohingya Muslims, who have been subject to decades of discrimination and a recent military crackdown described by the U.N. as a textbook campaign of “ethnic cleansing.”

Francis didn’t cite the crackdown or even utter the contested word “Rohingya” in his speech to Myanmar’s civilian leader, Aung San

Suu Kyi, and other authorities and diplomats in the capital.

Rohingya Muslims have faced state-supported discrimination in the predominantly Buddhist country for decades. They are deprived of citizenship and unable to access basic services such as adequate education and health care.

In August, the army began what it called “clearance operations” in Rakhine state following an attack on police posts by Rohingya insurgents. The violence, looting and burning of villages has forced more than 620,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

In his most anticipated speech of his weeklong trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, Francis expressed support for Suu Kyi’s efforts to bring about reconciliation among different groups after decades of military dictatorship.

And he insisted that religious differences in the majority Buddhist country must never be a cause for division or distrust.

Suu Kyi, for her part, referred to the “situation in the Rakhine” in her speech to Francis in the huge conference center in Naypyitaw, Myanmar’s new capital.

But she used the conflict as an opportunity to thank those who have supported the government as it seeks to “address long-standing issues — social, economic and political — that have eroded trust and understanding, harmony and cooperation” in Rakhine.