Pope Francis had talks with a
powerful Myanmar general shortly after arriving in the Asian
country on Monday to start his 21st apostolic visit, a trip
which will also take in Bangladesh.
The pontiff was greeted by Archbishop Paul Tschang In-Nam,
the Apostolic Nuncio in Myanmar, and two groups of children in
traditional costumes.
He was also greeted by a minister representing President Htin
Kyaw.
At 18:00 local the pope met army chief General Min Aung
Hlaing, one of the country's most powerful men even after the
end of the military dictatorship in November 2015.
The 15-minute meeting was described as a "courtesy visit" and
featured an exchange of gifts.
Papal spokesman Greg Burke said "they spoke about the great
responsibility of the country's authorities in this time of
transition".
Among the most delicate issues facing the pope is hown to
address the persecution of the Rohingya people, many of whom
have fled to Bangladesh.
The use of the word Rohingya to refer to the Islamic minority
is hotly contested by the majority Buddhist population.
Yangon Archbishop Cardinal Charles Maung Bo told TV2000 that
he had warned the pope not to use the word.
"I told him that both the government and the military but
also people in general and especially the police do not like
this term," he said.
"Let's hope he doesn't use this term because it has a very
political connotation. It is a contested term," said Cardinal
Bo.
Francis has previously launched several appeals for the
Rohingya, calling them by that name.
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