In the wider picture, the relations between Christians and Muslims may be one of the great faultlines of the century. Pope Francis has tireless enemies. Pope Francis has been accused of betraying the persecuted church in China by compromising with the government over the appointment of bishops. Pope Francis called for an end to the humanitarian crisis there before leaving the Vatican, but seems unlikely to raise the issue with his hosts, any more than he used the word Rohingya when he visited Myanmar last year. Even so, the demonstration that Christians can worship peacefully and in large numbers in a Muslim country will send an important, and welcome, signal round the world.

Source: The Guardian February 03, 2019 18:33 UTC