Pope praises Bangladesh for interreligious harmony in meeting with Hasina

Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has praised Bangladesh for interreligious harmony in a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the Vatican City.

In the meeting on Monday, the pontiff also hailed Hasina for sheltering the Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution and violence in Myanmar.

Besides the pope, the prime minister met Vatican City Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Bangladesh Ambassador to Vatican Shameem Ahsan briefed the media in Rome after the meetings.

Shahidul said Pope Francis, during his visit to Bangladesh two and a half months ago, felt that interreligious harmony is in a good state in the country.

“It is assumed that the religious minorities are in bad condition in a Muslim-majority country. I don’t know what the pope’s idea was about Bangladesh. Now he thinks highly of Bangladesh,” the secretary said.

Hasina was given a guard of honour when she reached the Vatican City from Hotel Parco Dei Principi Rome, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said.

Ambassador Shameem said Cardinal Parolin told Hasina Bangladesh has set an example by sheltering the Rohingya refugees.

When Cardinal Parolin asked about the progress in solving the crisis, Hasina said the solution lies in Myanmar, where it had stemmed from.

“Myanmar must create an environment in which the Rohingyas will agree to return there. Myanmar bears more responsibilities than we do in this regard,” the ambassador quoted Hasina as saying.

She also urged the Vatican to create more pressure on Myanmar to implement the proposals she placed in the UN General Assembly.

She noted her five-point proposal including implementations of the recommendations by the commission headed by former UN chief Kofi Annan to resolve the crisis.

She will present the keynote at the opening session of the conference.

Hasina is expected to join a civic reception organised for her by expatriate Bangladeshis in Rome on Tuesday evening and return home on Friday.