Pope heads to Bangladesh with Rohingya crisis looming large

Francis has so far refrained from speaking out about Asia’s worst humanitarian crisis in decades, out of deference to his Burmese hosts who consider the Rohingya “Bengalis” and do not recognize them as an ethnic group.

The Vatican has defended Francis’ silence, saying the pope wants to “build bridges” with the predominantly Buddhist nation.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Francis took the advice given to him by the local Catholic Church seriously, which urged him to toe a cautious line and not even refer to the “Rohingya” by name during his trip.

“You can criticise what’s said, what’s not said, but the pope is not going to lose moral authority on this question here,” Mr Burke told reporters on Wednesday.

But human rights groups and Rohingya themselves have expressed disappointment that Francis, a tireless and fearless advocate for refugees and the world’s most marginal, has refrained from condemning what the UN has said is a textbook case of “ethnic cleansing.”

Rohingya have faced persecution and discrimination in Burma for decades and are denied citizenship, even though many families have lived there for generations.

The situation grew worse in August when the army began what it called clearance operations in northern Rakhine state following attacks on security positions by Rohingya militants.

More than 620,000 Rohingya have since poured into refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, where they have…