Pope Francis urges intl action on Rohingya refugee crisis

Pope Francis called Thursday for “decisive” international action on the Rohingya refugee crisis as he began a visit to Bangladesh. More than 620,000 of the Muslim minority have sought sanctuary in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar. The pontiff made the comments in a speech shortly after arriving from Myanmar, where he walked a diplomatic tightrope. He stayed away there from mentioning the army’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. “None of us can fail to be aware of the gravity of the situation, the immense toll of human suffering involved,” the pope said, as cited by AFP. He praised Bangladesh for taking in the mass exodus across the border into overcrowded makeshift camps.