Bangladesh rolled out the red carpet as Pope Francis arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon at the start of a three-day state visit. The leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics is visiting at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Bangladesh. While in Myanmar, the Vatican was compelled to defend Pope Francis’s avoidance of the word “Rohingya” when referencing the refugee crisis. On Thursday, President Abdul Hamid received the pontiff near the VVIP tarmac of the airport, while two children presented him with a bouquet. In the evening, the Pope met President Hamid at Bangabhaban and joined a meeting with the speaker, the chief justice, ministers, politicians, civil society members and diplomats at the Darbar Hall.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 30, 2017 09:34 UTC