Welcome Pope Francis, but why did you visit Myanmar first?

Since assuming the office of the supreme pontiff and becoming the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church in 2013, Pope Francis has constantly used his pulpit to champion the downtrodden while becoming vocal to the miseries of the powerless and persecuted. From severely condemning the mass killings of the Armenians some hundred years ago to the Rwandan genocide - he appeared steadfast in terms of preaching moral, ethical and Christian values, but his recent trip to Myanmar didn't echo that same uncompromising stance.   
The Pope called on the people of Myanmar on Wednesday to embrace 'peace and reconciliation'. Moreover, in his much anticipated speech he did not even for once uttered the term Rohingya. However, his call for peace in general all over Myanmar and the rest of the world is what we all want to see materialized. But our eagerly-awaiting expectation surrounding his visit to Myanmar was someone shattered. We expected him to uphold the Biblical values of justice against merciless persecution of humans, especially ethnic minorities and more specifically the Rohingyas. We were sad that the Pope hadn't acknowledged the Rohingyas and their plight. Such calculative and deliberate caution in public will surely tarnish the Pope's international image to some degree. In his speech, he clearly specified, "I have come, above all, to pray with the nation's small but fervent Catholic community," in that case, it becomes clear - the Rohingya crisis was not actually in the top of his agenda.
It's difficult to believe that the Pope, in actuality, chose a crucial time like this to visit Myanmar in order to 'pray' with the country's small Catholic minority. Needs be reminded, the global perception of the Pope is not strictly confined within the Catholic Church. He is perhaps the one and only religious figure, from whom the people of any country, irrespective of their religious identities, expects to hear call for justice.
Reportedly he didn't specify the Rohingya issue because for the safety and security of the tiny Catholic population in Myanmar. If it's, however, true then there are enough reasons to believe, his definition of humanity and peace is somewhat predisposed and exclusively preserved for Catholic communities worldwide.  
It has been reported, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo and others of the Catholic Church in Myanmar had urged the Pope not to use the Rohingya term during his trip - fearing that any appearance of taking the side of the Muslim minority could provoke a violent backlash against Catholics in the country, who number about 700,000. The question involuntarily arises, what would have the Pope done if the persecuted minority was Catholic Christians and not the Rohingyas.  
The message, however, more than just Catholic teachings and praying with the masses the world expects more from a Pope. Apart from his religious identity they desire to see the courageous human in him - fearlessly standing against injustice. Remaining silent in the face of inhuman torture carried against a minority for the sake of safeguarding the security of another different religious group doesn't actually conform to the Pope's call for peaceful coexistence anywhere.    
However, very much in tuned with his call for peace and reconciliation, we also pray to save and protect the Rohingyas while giving them their lawful citizen rights. But no matter how longer and how deeper we pray the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar wouldn't end unless the Myanmar government acknowledges their crimes; unless they take every single Rohingya back and repatriate them lawfully.
The point, however, in the real world we are not expecting a divine intervention to end the Rohingya crisis. But one fact is for sure, there is something called divine retribution, and it is believed that 'holy representatives' will convey the issue to the appropriate persons and all.  
Whatever, we expected a specific clear-cut call from the Pope Francis in the light of the Bible's divine teachings on committing crimes such as raping, looting, destroying properties of innocent people and then forcing them to flee their lawful homes. We didn't get it. We believed him to be fearless and empowered in the light of pure Biblical teachings, but during his visit to Myanmar he appeared more of a 'peace loving politician'.
Nevertheless, we welcome his arrival to Bangladesh today. Apart from feeling sad, meeting with government high-ups, praying with the masses and visiting certain areas, the Vatican may also 'bless' the Rohingyas by dispatching foreign aid, but the Vatican's top man has evidently missed that unique opportunity to be an advocate for the Rohingyas while delivering his message 'to restore peace in Myanmar'.

The writer is the Assistant Editor, The Daily Observer