Pope arrives in Thailand to encourage Catholic minority
Nov 19, 2019 | 10:32 PM
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BANGKOK — Pope Francis has arrived in Bangkok to begin a tour of Thailand and Japan.
He’s on a mission to boost the morale of those countries’ tiny minority Catholic communities and speak about issues of concern including human trafficking and peacemaking.
He will highlight his admiration in Thailand for the community’s missionary ancestors who brought the faith to this Buddhist nation centuries ago and endured bouts of persecution more recently.
Francis’ three-day visit to Thailand starting Wednesday will be a welcome break for the 82-year-old pope. He is enduring fresh opposition from Catholic conservatives in the U.S. over his just-concluded meeting on the Amazon as well as a new financial scandal at home.
