
AsiaNews
CV NEWS FEED // The head of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) programs in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh, recently shared his experience as a “Good Samaritan,” serving persecuted Muslim-minority refugees displaced from neighboring Myanmar.
In an August 26 article published by AsiaNews, Fr Jerry Gomes gave a testimony of his experience serving the some 700,000 Rohingya men, women, and children who were forced to flee from Myanmar to escape persecution at the hands of the Burmese army since August 2017.
Speaking on his role in combating the increasingly dire refugee crisis, Fr Gomes remarked that both Pope Francis and the Church “think that no community should be left behind,” as exemplified by the Good Samaritan in Scripture.
The Jesuit priest emphasized that although it has been seven years since the crisis began, the prospect of return for Rohingya refugees is and will remain impossible until peace is reached between the Burmese military and various rebel groups in Myanmar.
However, he also noted that Bangladesh cannot continue to host such a large volume of refugees “with its limited resources.” The refugee camp where Fr Gomes serves is believed to be the largest refugee camp in the world. More than 920,000 Rohingya have settled there.
“The international community must find a lasting solution,” he stated, adding: “In the meantime, it is crucial to take care of the Rohingya, as guests, as emphasized by Pope Francis, who has recognized their plight as a profound humanitarian issue.”
As BBC summarized in a January 2020 report, the conflict began in Myanmar after Rohingya Arsa militants “launched deadly attacks on more than 30 police posts.”
In response, Burmese army troops, “backed by local Buddhist mobs,” invaded and burned down Rohingya villages across the region, attacking and killing at least 6,700 civilians along the way. Among them were at least 730 children under the age of five, who were killed in the month after the violence began.
