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World News

Pope to visit Myanmar

by Tola Mbakwe

He will visit the cities of Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar. He'll also travel to Dhaka in Bangladesh.

While Myanamar's government and religious leaders look forward to the visit, Buddhist nationalists have said they don't want the pope to instigate issues over a persecuted Muslim minority group called the Rohingya. 

There's a dispute over where the group belongs.

Buddhists in Myanmar believe that Rohingyas are from Bangladesh, although Rohingya families have lived in Myanmar for generations. Many have become refugees over the issue.

Ashin Wirathu, a leader of a hard-line Buddhist movement, Ma Ba Tha, told the New York Times: "There is no Rohingya ethnic group in our country, but the pope believes they are originally from here. That's false."

In February, Pope Francis rebuked Myanmar for its treatment of the Rohingya.

He said: "They have been suffering, they are being tortured and killed, simply because they uphold their Muslim faith.''

In May, Pope Francis and Burmese state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi met and agreed to start a diplomatic relationship. 

Speaking of the upcoming November visit, Benedict Rogers from Christian Solidarity Worldwide said: "The pope, as a world religious and spiritual leader, has the potential to speak well in this situation" and win the trust of both Buddhist nationalists and members of the Rohingya community.

"But there is a potential for a negative action from groups like Ma Ba Tha and what scale that will be really remains to be seen."

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