Saturday, November 25, 2017

Pope Francis and Bangladesh


Pope Francis elevates Archbishop Patrick D'Rozario of Bangladesh to the cardinalate in the Vatican (November 19, 2016)
Photo courtesy: www.tkayala.com/

Pope Francis greets Cardinal-designate Patrick D'Rozario of Bangladesh in the Vatican  
Photo courtesy: www.asianews.it/

Another 'November Pope' (called so as three Catholic popes visiting Bangladesh so far came in November) is coming to Bangladesh. He is Pope Francis. He is coming on a three-day state and apostolic visit to Bangladesh on November 30 bringing the message of hope, love, harmony, and peace. He will be the third pope to grace the land of Bangladesh. The second pope to visit Bangladesh was Pope John Paul II on November 19 - 20, 1986. His message to  all Catholics of Bangladesh was to be more faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and work for better communion and brotherhood among themselves and also with members of other faiths. Bangladesh Catholic Church had given him a rousing welcome. The  first pope, Pope Paul VI, to set foot to Bangladesh (at that time it was known as East Pakistan) was on November 27, 1970. He had stopped for a few hours as a short stopover on his way to Manila, the Philippines, to express his love and sympathy for the terrible November 12 cyclone victims in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. He also made a donation towards relief and rehabilitation work among those victims. 

 Pope Francis, originally from Argentina of South American continent, was elected Pope of the Catholic Church in the Vatican on March 13, 2013. From next month onward, his attention fell on Bangladesh, too. He first spoke on the garment factory collapse at Savar and next he gave public statement on the terrorist attack on Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka, he also spoke in support of the Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, later he named and elevated Dhaka's archbishop Patrick D'Rozario to the cardinalate, and now he is to visit Bangladesh next week. His association with Bangladesh is noteworthy. 

 Being from a third-world country of Argentina, Pope Francis easily understands peoples and situations in countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar. He will be the right person to encourage, inspire, and boost the the hopes and aspirations of the people. His motto for Bangladesh visit is "harmony and peace." He knows that harmony and peace are so necessary in a country where people belong to different culture and religions. On November 21, he expressed his eagerness to meet with Catholic and other inter-religious leaders. "I want to meet the entire people. In a special way, I cannot wait to meet the religious leaders in Ramna Park" [Suhrawarthy Uddyan] in Dhaka. 

 Bangladesh Government and the Catholic Church are ready to receive Pope Francis with cordiality and open arms. They are ready to hear him and interact with him on different issues. His advent to Bangladesh will act as a source of inspiration and encouragement for greater harmony and peace among peoples of different religions and culture. 

 Pope Francis, on his arrival in Dhaka at 3:00 p.m., on Thursday, November 30, will lay wreaths and pay homage in the National Martyrs' Memorial [to those who were killed in 1971 Liberation War] and Bangabandhu Memorial [to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation]. He will also meet with country's president Abdul Hamid and government and civic dignitaries and members of foreign diplomatic corps. On Friday, December 1, he is offer solemn morning Mass at the Suhrawardy Uddyan for about 100,000 Christians and he will ordain 16 local deacons to priesthood. In the afternoon, he will meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Apostolic Nunciature (Vatican Embassy), visit St. Mary's Cathedral at Ramna, speak to the nine bishops of Bangladesh, and, finally, join the leaders in an inter-religious and ecumenical meeting for peace in the open space at the Archbishop's House. A small group of Rohingya refugees will also be present in this meeting. On the final day, Saturday, December 2, in the mid-morning, he will privately visit Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity house at Tejgaon, meet with priests, Brothers, Sisters, seminarians and novices at the Holy Rosary Church, visit the parish cemetery and historic church (old one), meet with young people at Notre Dame College, and go to the Dhaka International Airport for the farewell ceremony. At 5:05 p.m. his plane leaves for Rome. 

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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 4:24 PM
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