Pope meets Myanmar's military chief in shadow of Rohingya crisis

Pope Francis held talks on Mondaywith Myanmar's military chief at the start of a delicate visitto a majority-Buddhist country that the United States hasaccused of "ethnic cleansing" against its Muslim Rohingyapeople.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church will also visitBangladesh, where more than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to escapewhat Amnesty International has dubbed "crimes against humanity."

Myanmar's army has denied accusations of murder, rape,torture and forced displacement that have been made against it.

• Catholic devotees camp out at churches ahead of pope's visit to Myanmar
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The Pope's first meeting in Yangon was with militarycommander Senior Gen.Min Aung Hlaing in St. Mary's Cathedralin the heart of the Southeast Asian nation's largest city.

"They discussed the great responsibility of authorities ofthe country in this time of transition," Vatican spokespersonGreg Burke said after the 15 minutes of talks, which were followed byan exchange of gifts.

Francis presented the general with a commemorative medal ofhis visit, and Min Aung Hlaing gave the Pope a harp in the shapeof a boat and an ornate rice bowl, Burke said.

The army chief told the Pope "there's no religiousdiscrimination in Myanmar and there's the freedom of religion," according to a statement on the Facebook page of Min AungHlaing.

"Every soldier's goal is to build a stable and peacefulcountry," the army chief was paraphrased as saying in thestatement.

Members of ethnic minority groups in traditional dresswelcomed Francis at Yangon airport, and children presented himwith flowers as he stepped off his plane.

He waved through an open window at dozens of children wavingVatican and Myanmar flags and wearing T-shirts with the motto ofthe trip"love and peace" as he set off in a car.

Only about 700,000 of Myanmar's 51 million people are RomanCatholic. Thousands of them travelled by train and bus toYangon, and they joined crowds at several roadside points alongthe way from the airport to catch a glimpse of the pope.

More than 150,000 people have registered for a mass thatFrancis will say in Yangon on Wednesday, according to CatholicMyanmar Church spokespersonMariano Soe Naing.

"We come here to see the Holy Father. It happens once inhundreds of years," said Win Min Set, a community leader whobrought a group of 1,800 Catholics from the south and west ofthe country.

"He is very knowledgeable when it comes to politicalaffairs. He will handle the issue smartly," he said, referring to the sensitivity of the Pope's discussions about the Rohingya.

Large numbers of riot police were mobilized in Yangon butthere were no signs of any protests.

Sensitivity over word 'Rohingya'

The trip is so delicate that some papal advisers have warnedFrancis against even saying the word "Rohingya,"lest he set offa diplomatic incident that could turn the country's military andgovernment against minority Christians.

The Rohingya exodus from Rakhine state to Bangladesh'ssouthern tip began at the end of August, when Rohingya militantsattacked security posts and the Myanmar army launched acounter-offensive.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last week called themilitary operation "ethnic cleansing" and threatened targeted sanctions for "horrendous atrocities."

Myanmar's government has denied most of the accusations madeagainst it, and the army says its own investigation found noevidence of wrongdoing by troops.

Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens nor asmembers of a distinct ethnic group with their own identity, andit even rejects the term "Rohingya" and its use.

'There's no problem if he talks about Islam, but it's unacceptable if he speaks about Rohingya and extreme terrorists.'- Tawparka,Patriotic Association of Myanmar

Many people in Myanmar instead refer to members of theMuslim minority in Rakhine state as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

Francis is expected to meet a group of Rohingya refugees inDhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on the second leg of his trip.

The most tense moments of his Myanmar visit were expected to be the private meeting with the army chief and, separately, withcivilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday.

Vatican sources say some in the Holy See believe the tripwas decided too hastily after full diplomatic ties wereestablished in May during a visit by Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi's reputation as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate hasbeen tarnished because she has expressed doubts about the reports of rights abuses against the Rohingya and failed tocondemn the military.

The Pope has already used the word Rohingya in two appealsfrom the Vatican this year.

Asked if he would say it in Myanmar, Burke said Francis wastaking the advice he had been given seriously, but added: "Wewill find out together during the trip ... it is not a forbiddenword."

A hardline group of Buddhist monks, previously known as MaBa Tha, said it welcomed the pope's visit but warned, withoutelaborating, of "a response" if he spoke openly about theRohingya.

"I hope he doesn't touch on sensitive issues that Myanmarpeople couldn't accept," said Tawparka, a spokespersonfor the group, who goes by a single name. "There's no problem if hetalks about Islam, but it's unacceptable if he speaks about Rohingya and extreme terrorists."