POGGIOLI: Since August, an estimated 600,000 Rohingya had fled Myanmar military attacks into neighboring Bangladesh. They are suffering for years, tortured and killed simply for their Muslim faith. POPE POPE FRANCIS: (Through interpreter) Our Rohingya brothers and sisters wander from one place to another because they are not wanted. In February, he singled out those being driven from Myanmar. SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Pope Francis often speaks forcefully on behalf of migrants across the world who are exploited or expelled. As NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports, the pope will face a difficult balancing act in both places. Bangladesh is mostly Muslim, Myanmar predominantly Buddhist, and its military's brutal attacks on a Muslim minority called the Rohingya have led to accusations of ethnic cleansing.
Pope Francis leaves Sunday for a weeklong trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh.
