Paul Keenan
Pope Francis welcomed the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the Vatican on Monday.
The Vatican Press Office reported the Popeís delight at greeting Ms Suu Kyi, "one of the most significant personalities in Asia in the area of peace, democracy and peaceful coexistence", a woman who spent 15 years under house arrest during Burma's military rule before entering parliament with the ending of the regime in 2011.
Of the private meeting, the press office reported that Pope Francis "assured [Ms Suu Kyi] of his prayers for Myanmar and for the Catholic community and the church in her country, and of his appreciation for the ladyís commitment to development and democracy in her country, assuring her of the collaboration of the Catholic Church in these great causes".
