Clutching her entrance badge to see the Pope, Vietnamese Catholic refugee Ko Sa says attending the pontiff’s mass this week is a great honour — a rare bright spot in her “miserable” life in limbo as an asylum seeker in Bangkok.
The four-day jaunt is the Pope’s first trip to Thailand, where about 1,400 Vietnamese Christians and ethnic minorities have settled, many fearing religious persecution in communist Vietnam. Her UN refugee ID does not shield her from police, and she has had to move several times to avoid immigration crackdowns.“When I think of how miserable my life is here I just cry,” added Ko Sa, who works as a cleaner for $5 a day.She arrived in Thailand seven years ago, hiding in a truck to cross the Cambodian border during a three-day journey.
Today all religions in Buddhist-majority Vietnam are controlled by the state and any practitioners operating without official registration could face jail time.It is not clear if the Pope will address Vietnam’s Catholics this week, though his trip is raising hopes he could speak about the plight of refugees as he has since the migrant crisis of 2015.
Son says he was imprisoned, beaten and forbidden from travelling for speaking out on the environmental disaster. Like Ko Sa, he used his UN refugee agency card as ID when parishes announced registration for the pontiff’s visit.“It also strengthens my faith,” he said, adding that he would ask the Pope to “pray for refugees”.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »
Source: ABSCBNNews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »