Look at how Pope Francis greeted Nobel Peace Prize winner and Myanmar State Counsellor and Foreign Minister, Aung San Suu Kyi. It was their second encounter together, after their first in October 2013.
While Myanmar only has a small Catholic population, this meeting also brought about their intention to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See.
Thus, both leaders showed their respect through the gifts that were exchanged between them. Kyi presented the pope will a little marble carving of a dove.
'This is a symbol of the peace process.â?
The pope, in turn, presented her with a medallion with the inscription 'The desert will become a garden.â? He also gifted her the three documents from his pontificate in English: Amoris Laetitia, Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato si'.
After their meeting, both leaders warmly said goodbye to each other.
'Thank you. Thank you. Pray for me.â?
'Yes, I will always keep you in my prayers. Thank you.â?
Pope Francis is especially concerned about violence taking place in her country against the minority Muslim group in Rohingya. They are fleeing from what the UN calls a 'genocideâ? by the Burmese army. It is estimated that between 300,000 and 500,000 refugees have fled to Bangladesh.
POPE FRANCIS
May 19, 2015
'We think today of the poor Rohingya people of Myanmar. They did not know what would happen to them when they left their homeland to escape persecution. For months they are there in boats... They arrive in a city, where people give them water and food, and say, 'Go away.' This is happening and it leaves a great existential problem.â?
Furthermore, Kyi has been under fire for denying that there is an 'ethnic cleansingâ? taking place. The Vatican has not confirmed if Pope Francis brought up this concerning topic while the two held their 23-minute private meeting.
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