Pope urges 'decisive' steps to address Rohingya crisis

By Mutasim Billah

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Pope Francis urged the international community to take "decisive measures" to address the Rohingya crisis after he arrived in capital Dhaka from Myanmar on Thursday for a three-day state visit.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholic Christians was accorded a red-carpet reception at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

President Abdul Hamid received the Pope near the VVIP tarmac where two children presented him with a bouquet.

Pope Francis then visited the National Martyr's Memorial that recognizes the martyrs of the country’s 1971 Liberation War.

He also paid his respect to the country’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, by placing a floral wreath on his portrait at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the city.

According to state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Pope Francis said the international community must take "decisive measures" to address the Rohingya crisis taking into account the "gravity of the situation" as he joined a civic reception hosted by the president in the evening.

The pope avoided using the word "Rohingya" in his remarks.

"It is imperative that the international community take decisive measures to address this grave crisis," he said.

He said the international community should try to resolve the political issues that have led to the mass displacement of people and offer immediate assistance to Bangladesh.

"None of us can fail to be aware of the gravity of the situation, the immense toll of human suffering involved, and the precarious living conditions of so many of our brothers and sisters, a majority of whom are women and children, crowded in the refugee camps," the Pope said.

The Rohingya issue is not part of the official Dhaka schedule of the pope.

The 80-year-old religious figure is scheduled to stay at the Embassy of the Holy See in the city’s Baridhara area.

He will meet Bangladeshi premier on Friday and later also visit the cathedral to meet the country’s bishops and join a prayer service with approximately 80,000 Catholics.

On Saturday, the pope is scheduled to meet priests and consecrated men and women, and youth in different churches and institutions.

He will leave for Rome on Saturday after an official farewell at the Dhaka airport.