Pope backs Myanmar’s bishops

Vatican City: Pope Francis threw his weight Sunday behind an appeal from bishops in Myanmar to the nation’s military leaders to allow aid to reach thousands of displaced people dying of hunger.

“I join my voice to that of the Bishops of Myanmar, who last week launched an appeal calling the entire world’s attention to the heartrending experience of thousands of people in that country who are displaced and have been dying of hunger,” the pontiff said in his Angelus prayer. “We implore with all courtesy that humanitarian corridors be permitted and that churches, pagodas, monasteries, mosques, temples, as well as schools and hospitals be respected as neutral places of refuge,” he said, quoting the bishops. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) government in a February 1 coup.