Pope recognises Myanmar, promotes Vietnamese cardinal

Bangkok Post, May 4, 2017

Pope Francis received Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi at the Vatican Thursday, and the two agreed to establish full diplomatic relations.

The leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics has previously expressed concern over the plight of the Rohingya, a minority Muslim group in the predominantly Buddhist country.  During her current European tour, the de facto Burmese leader has faced criticism for failing to condemn the sometimes violent repression of the stateless ethnic group by the country’s notorious security forces.

Also on Thursday, Pope Francis moved a Vietnamese cardinal imprisoned for more than 13 years by the Communists a step closer to sainthood. The pontiff signed a decree saying Cardinal Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan lived a life of heroic virtue. It’s the first major hurdle before Thuan can be beatified.

Thuan’s account of being imprisoned by Vietnam’s communist leaders made him an inspirational figure to many Vietnamese Catholics. He died in 2002 of cancer in Rome, where he had been forced to live in exile for the final years of his life.

Thuan was detained for more than 13 years, nine of them in solitary confinement, starting in 1975.

The Vatican must certify a miracle attributed to Thuan’s intercession for him to be beatified, the first step toward canonization.