Pope’s Asia tour stirs fond memories for Thai-based cousin

Mangalore Today News Network

Thailand, Nov 24, 2017 : From the courtyard of a Catholic girls’ school outside Bangkok, Sister Ana Rosa Sivori is eagerly awaiting a visit to the region from her second cousin - Pope Francis.

 

Six years his junior, the sprightly 75-year-old nun has watched from abroad as her cousin transforms from the "shy" kid she grew up with in Buenos Aires to a global figurehead, unafraid to speak his mind and wade into treacherous political waters.

That boldness will be tested next week when the pontiff visits first Myanmar and then Bangladesh - countries reeling from a Rohingya refugee exodus sparked by ethnic and religious hatreds.

While the pontiff will not have time for a face-to-face reunion, Sister Ana Rosa will be closely watching her pen pal from her home in Thailand, where she first arrived as a Salesian missionary more than 50 years ago.

"He is coming for the Myanmar people, not for us," the fluent Thai-speaker said from the schoolyard in Nakhon Pathom, where pupils buzz around her white robes and playfully grab onto her cross as she passes through the lunch area.

"It is the right time for him to come to Asia. These two places, Myanmar and Bangladesh, they are in conflict ... he sees the need to encourage people, to build a bridge of peace."



courtesy: Asia Pacific