Pope Francis Arrives in a Myanmar Tarnished by Rohingya Crackdown

I am sure two less credible people can be topping the news. Well, Maybe not.

Pope Francis must speak up against this vile genocidal regime in Myanmar and fall prey to the shame of Pope Pius X who failed to denounce the Holocaust.

But will he step up and call what's been going on in Myanmar what it is--genocide? I seriously doubt it.

Are we as a nation failing in our approach to other nation just because they want us to support them whatever they are at? Visit of Pope is a welcome step but if this does not heal the wound that has been inflicted on the humanity and those who inflicted the wound do not come to senses and gain sensitivity to people as a human being irrespective of the race religion and ethnicity. Goutam Buddha teachings have turned the his disciples into men and women who are full of bitterness and sense of revenge. Are we as a democratic nation not aware of the fact that the democracy on attack in one nation is an attack on the democracy itself?

To Pope Francis, Do what Jesus would do. Walk among the suffering Rohingya. Bring them loaves and fishes. Touch their children. Walk in their Garden of Gethsemane and feel their pain. Lead us in love dear Brother Francis. Please do not let this communion cup pass us by. Take a sip so our love will flow.

It is very very interesting to note that Rev Pope Francis is on a peace mission to the erstwhile Burma. One at this juncture, must make some plain speaking. The TRUTH is that the agents of ISIS provoked the peace loving people of Mynmar by giving a vent to their aggressively dogmatic instincts. To illustrate my point I may like to state how some militants , even after the exodus, did not leave the placid country but were overtly challenging that they would continue their evil design of setting fire mercilessly multitudes of villages and spreading their DOGMA. Six or seven years ago the Muslim countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh burnt their fingers at the hands of the MIGRANTS from MYNMAR. In India in the border States like Assam, the migrants spread the ripples of hysteria though the politicians for their own selfish reasons tolerated the new ENTRANTS. The TRUTH is that there is a desperate need for eradicating the terrorist roots at the international level. Hope the intellectuals at the international level ponder over my objective,impartial,judicious and disinterested judgement and solicit their cooperation to a Senior Fulbright scholar like me.

Everyone seem to blame the Buddhists in Myanmar. The expectation is Buddhists should be very docile, while it is par for Muslims to violent. The innocent Rohingya is suffering. It is wrong. In Iraq, hundreds of thousands were killed and millions of thrown of the country due to a ridiculous war, is called "liberation". It is all in "marketing". Also, consider the bloody contribution of Pakistan is not acknowledge. The current situation of Rohingya occurred because, Abdus Qadoos Burmi a Rohingya born in Pakistan, trained by ISI and the terrorist organizations created Aqa Mul Mujahideen (AMM) and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked and killed 80 Burmese police and troops in a coordinated attack. For Pakistan and ISI, this met the objective. Create trouble and blame it on others. Some of the Rohingya definitely supported these terrorist organizations. But, many more are suffering due to this wily act by Pakistan. I hope western journalists also investigate the Pakistan connection for the current crisis.

The report here states that the Pope's visit to the General was added at the last minute. The Pope had planned to visit Myanmar before the crisis unfolded, but he is now seeking a meeting the General to try to influence him and promote peace. We don't know what they will discuss behind closed doors, but the Pope is hardly going to start insulting him in front of the press and criticizing his leadership on his arrival to their country. That's the sort of 'diplomacy' that a certain President might engage in - insulting NATO members, the UN and others to their faces when you're invited to speak with them - but the Pope will be more cagey than that, let's hope. He is taking a unique opportunity - a visit that was planned earlier - to rope in the General for a meeting and you can be sure he will be using it to press for peace.

I am incredulous at the courage of this good man. He didn't need to be there, but felt he had to be there to try to bring some comfort to these anguished people. That is an example of moral leadership.

I always thought of Buddhism as a peaceful and benevolent religion. Myanmar has changed my mind that it is just another typical divisive religion. Add yet another religious leader from a different religion into the mix and I cannot see there being any change possible - especially if that religious leader is warned ahead of time not to even mention a group of humans being purged in a cruel and inhuman way. Instead of just praying, I admire and respect Pope Francis for actually doing something on the ground in Myanmar to find a peaceful solution to the suffering imposed on others because of their faith. Are there no Muslim leaders capable of standing up for the Rohingya, like Pope Francis, without also resorting to terrorism?

What can be expected from a Catholic leader in a predominantly Buddhist Southeast Asian nation that is eliminating its Muslim minority? This is not a rhetorical question. The Pope is not the secret ingredient to all conflict resolutions. He was not even able to intervene in the ungoing crisis in Venezuela, a Catholic Latin American nation. He is not a pillar in either Buddhist or Islamic traditions. Real and tangible resolution to the Rohingya crisis will only emerge from other leaders. Until the Muslim world as a collective starts to have real economic and political backlash against Myanmar, the crisis will not end. Countries such as Malaysia and Turkey have offered nothing but statements of condemnation and humanitarian relief. However, they have yet to engage with diplomatic policies against Myanmar. Where are the Imams? Seriously. Where are the religious leaders of the Islamic world? The Rohinya people are being eliminated, due to a real hostility and xenophobia against their origin and faith. Where is the outrage? There have only been brief protests here and there. But nothing to cease the killings. Where are the Buddhist outrage? Yes, Buddhism has multiple variations, and they are not a singular collective either. However, the Dalai Lama cannot be the only Buddhist leader that finds the Burmese violence abhorrent. What does Thailand, a neighboring Buddhist nation think? There is more than enough blame to go around, as far as religious leaders are concerned.

In the Catholic faith, the very young and very old, the very poor, the forgotten, the imprisoned — all these people matter. And all are capable of salvation and redemption - not just people who are flashy and easy to like. This is not a religion that can be reduced to a slogan on a t-shirt. You will hear about the highlights of his visit but you are not likely to hear about the other small conversations he will be having. It makes no sense for Pope Francis to go to that part of the world. In fact, he risks his life in going. But he wants that tiny minority of Catholics to know that he is with them. The Pope has already spoken about the Rohingya people. His visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh is offering hope not only to the tiny Catholic minority in that area, but to all religious minorities. His message has always been that the individual matters and just being there makes a powerful statement. For the leaders in Myanmar to state that there is “no religious persecution” is a defense that no one believes, including the leaders themselves - they are being made uncomfortable. And at the same time, they are being made to know that THEY matter. This is a powerful message beyond talking points!

I think it's very brave of the Pope to venture into this political minefield. He's volunteering to be politically crucified for either not confronting the military strongly enough, or going too far by calling them out and endangering the local Christians. Let's hope his private talks with Aung San and others will lead to some breakthrough to a new reality.

Pope Francis' visit could be beneficial to the current plight of Muslims in the country as the spotlight of the world via his visit will cast a bright light on Myanmar. The Pope is also mindful that what fate lay with the Muslims may also affect Catholics in the country. If anything, the military will soften it's stance temporarily and perhaps give a breather to the policies that garnered attention of the world.

What is so tragic about the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is that, although Pope Francis previously used the term "our Rohingya brothers and sisters" and denounced the violence, Myanmar's sole Catholic cardinal urged him to avoid using it on the trip, to avoid inflaming local feelings. Myanmar officials do not use the term, instead labelling Rohingya as "Bengalis", and say they migrated illegally from Bangladesh so should not be listed as one of the country's ethnic groups. Bangladesh denies they are its citizens. This murderous bigotry that the government-backed Buddhist monks in Myanmar espouse, places them in the same league as Islamist fundamentalists across the Muslim world.

The United Nations is being ignored on this genocide. The diplomatic community doesn't dare open its mouth. Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize winner, will not speak out. The Catholic hierarchy is saying, "Shhhhh." The Buddhist generals are rattling their guns. There is no such creature as "a little genocide". And there is no such thing as a "courtesy call" to jack-boots. Someone explain to me what the Pope is doing there. Handing out "medallions"? Getting freebie "ornate rice bowls" to add to the wealth of his church? Muslims. Buddhists. Christians. Give me an honest atheist any day.

The Pope has to be cautious. Speaking out about the treatment of the (Jews) Rohingya in (Germany) Myanmar might endanger the Catholics in that country. Can't have that. What would Jesus think?

"But the church’s leaders in Myanmar ... have argued that the pope must invest in Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, as she is perhaps the country’s last, and best, chance to proceed on a road to democracy and the protection of civil rights." Are democracy and the protection of civil rights even compatible objectives? It's long been clear that the persecution, and now the expulsion, of the Rohingya minority is popular with the majority Buddhist population of the country. The army has acted in accordance with the will of the people. And Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is acting like a political leader, that is one concerned with maintaining support among the people, not just the military. I wouldn't expect her to change her stance.

Jesus never "towed the line" on oppression and the Pope shouldn't either. Jesus came to shake up complacency not conform. My prayer is that the Pope steps it up.............

Hard to think, what does Pope Francis hope to achieve in non-Christian Burma on this latest publicity trip. Given his generally perceived leftist persuasion, he will continue to pay less attention to the problems of Roman Catholicism than he should.

The real "absurdity" here is Mr Horowitz's determination to understand realities in Myanmar from such an uninformed perspective. While he wastes readers' time by dwelling on semantic games, his sloppy reference to a "delegation of children in traditional clothing" calls attention to his failure to realize that the majority of Myanmar Catholics are not Bamar, or ethnic-majority Burmans. The cardinal-archbishop of Yangon previously served in the dioceses of Lashio, in Shan State, and Pathein, where most Catholics are Karens. The Naypyitaw government is involved in a halting peace process with ethnic-nationality groups in Myanmar. The power and influence of the Myanmar military relate not least to the unresolved nature of that process. And it is impossible to see the horrifying situation in Rakhine state without reference to these broader developments in Myanmar. But Mr Horowitz could not, it seems, be bothered.

So basically the Pope, with all his moral authority, met with a killer and a rapist and they both exchanged gifts. Any reason for the Pope’s visit? Doesn’t that give credence to the killers of Myanmar? He was better off staying home. And as to the fear of “endangering his tiny local flock,” I suggest a little reading in the form of a short story titled “The Lion and the Three Bull.” The moral of which is: “I was eaten when the white bull was eaten.”

A factual error has crept into Jason Horowitz's article when he states that this is Pope Francis' first visit to a majority Buddhist country. - Wrong - He visited my own country Sri Lanka , 69% Buddhist, back in 2015.

I think it would hard to 'Tarnish' the Image of Myanmar which has been known for known for brutal slavery and religious persecution since it changed its name from Burma

How can you be a servant of God when you are more afraid of being persecuted than you are in standing up for the rights of your fellow man?

If Francis doesn't speak out for fear of persecution of Catholics, who will? The words "ethnic cleansing" and "Rohingya" are as necessary as "holocaust" and "Jew" were in 1942, when another Pope failed to speak.

This isn't a "crackdown" this is blatant ethnic cleansing. That you would call murder of whole communities a "crackdown" indicates a lack of humanity.

NYT minimizing the Rohingya genocide in the same week they elevate MBS, the butcher of Yemen. (For which the newspaper scrubbed my critical comment on Sunday). Why should I pay a subscription for this insult?

Fix your own house USA before attacking other countries.Your government kills black citizens year after year and imprisons them in large numbers yet you have the gall to point at other countries?

Sorry to break the news, but the pope is not the vicar of christ on Earth. Jesus didn't play politics with evil, he confronted it and all of the enablers and paid the price with his life. The pope on the other hand doesn't want to upset either side, he doesn't want to feel the wrath of the evil buddhists and their generals who lead them. If this isn't hypocrisy, i don't know what is. Being the Vicar of Christ on Earth brings responsibilities and this pope is being irresponsible. Another lesson learned regarding Organized religion.

This is where the world gets in trouble. This is where the world cheapens all life. When there is genocide and brutality, there is no `fine line' to walk; no `diplomatic language' to employ. The only moral action is to express outrage. I pray that Francis finds the words to shame and humiliate the people responsible for murdering innocents. I know another Guy who'd have no trouble.

What would Jesus do? At a time when anti Muslim comments are so casually made, it is at least heartening that others see with some moral clarity. Some observers claim that in the current climate of hate mere public mention of the Rohingya endangers the Christian minority of Myanmar. And yet it is so deeply un-Christian to not stand up for this suffering Rohingya community. It is also deeply un-Buddhist, unless one distorts one's Buddhism with nationalism. The Myanmar people are betraying their deepest ideals. Betrayal is also taking place in the international community, with many nations that could stop mass tragedy blocking action in the United nations and in influential groups like ASEAN. Are they changing the Temple into a moneychanger's market? Diplomats are creating confusion, not solutions-- a good example of this is last week's false and empty "Repatriation Agreement" between Bangladesh and Myanmar. This is unworkable-- not only was the UN excluded from negotiations, but so were Rohingya. Myanmar has stated it wont allow the 620,000 who fled state terror and mass atrocities to return to their lands, which have already been confiscated. The Repatriation deal calls for Rohingya --only those with documents surviving the fires-- to be settled in "Model Villages" ie Displacement Camps, with no right to work, to education, to move freely. Without a restoration of Rohingya rights, such agreements are only another form of betrayal of this long suffering community.

At St. John 's University Playwright Dr. Larry Myers has encouraged dramatists to pen plays bout critical spiritual issues. As Director of The Playwrights Sanctuary Myers has assembled "Myanmar Melee" as a model. The sanctuary is concerned with human rights. It mentors younger and newer playwrights inclusive

The language used in this article is shockingly tempered in treating a genocidal crime. I cannot think how failing to describe the crime that has been occurring will aid in stopping further tragedy. Can this sort of writing be to assist diplomacy? What am I missing?

Supporting Aung San Suu Kyi is irrelevant. The military simply will not give up its power. The Pope must call out the military for what it is and what it does. Have the courage to speak truth to the awful power behind genocide, else be discovered a coward. To fail to protect or assist one group in order to prevent possible harm to another fails the test of treating the harmed group as ends in themselves. The Rohingya are suffering to protect Catholics.

Here the hope is Pope Francis will be a diplomat and not the truth-teller some commenters seek. The trick is to achieve some actual help for the victims, and not harm others (including the Christians in Burma). Those who call for him to speak out against genocide can't really expect that language to improve things. Francis' aim is likely some positive movement in the situation -- and we can hope, bolstering Suu Kyi.

Pope Francis does not lack courage. He is aware of the potential consequences of a political misstep, not to himself but to many, many others. To call out the military regime for genocide or crimes, as some have posted on this site, would be disastrous. It is hoped that he can bring a message of peace, tolerance, and hope to Myanmar.

I would be very surprised if he does not speak his mind. His Holiness has reputation of not holding back.

How can the Pope NOT speak out about the genocide in Myanmar? Well, the Catholic Church is NOT speak out against or oppose the Holocaust of the Jews. As always, the Catholic Church will protect and promote its own narrow interests.

The Pope had no hesitation on speaking out when he was asked when women would become priests. "Never!" he said without hesitation. So, let him speak, without hesitation, on the defense of the Rohingya. To do less proves him a coward.

Pope is visiting Myanmar at the right time! This should send a message to the countries army and government that the crimes they are committing are not acceptable under any faith or religion.

Sounds like Pope Francis can have a good effect on the situation in Myanamar.

Near the end of this article your writer uses the term " poor treatment of the Rohingya." This may be what the NYT and the editor of the article consider an accurate description but I doubt any informed reader or any of the remaining Rohingya would find this phraseology adequate to the horror involved.

How do you, NYT, distinguish between a crackdown and a genocide?