Pope’s silence in Myanmar recalls Catholic appeasement of Nazis
Pope Francis’s hand-washing in Myanmar, witnessed by the world, makes him the worthy successor to Pontius Pilate rather than St Peter.
No mention of the word Rohingya, nor even a reference to the ethnic cleansing now so well documented.
Like St Peter, who thrice denied Christ, the Pope’s silence and failure to acknowledge the Rohingya further marginalises this most brutalised people. And the photographs and footage shown around the world of him cordially greeting Aung San Suu Kyi gives tacit support to her government and its inhumanity.
While I fully understand the needs of diplomacy, there are times when spiritual leaders must be stand up and be just that – leaders. History may well judge Pope Francis on a par with his predecessor during World War Two, Pius XII, who is widely condemned for failing to speak or act against the atrocities being committed by the Nazis.
David Brown
Rayong
