In a telegram sent to the Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Pope Francis said he was going to Myanmar to “encourage the small but fervent Catholic community and meet believers of diverse religions”.

Chairman of Trócaire, Bishop William Crean, says the development agency is working on the ground in Myanmar and “committed money immediately to the situation”.

Some Buddhist leaders are displeased with the strong line Pope Francis has taken over the treatment of the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority.