Pope Francis strongly criticised atrocities, including mass killings and gang rapes, committed against Rohingya Muslims.
Condemning the torture and killings committed by Myanmar's security forces thataccording to a UN reportpossible amount to ethnic cleansing, Francis stated in a statement on Wednesday that Rohingya Muslims were targeted "simply because they want to live their culture and their Muslim faith".
In a UN report made public last week, 204 Rohingya refugees who fled to neighbouring Bangladesh were interviewed for first-hand accounts.
They revealed grave violations allegedly carried out by members of Myanmar's security forces, or by civilians working alongside them.
Security forces in Myanmar reportedly burned down entire villages, and opened fire at people fleeing burning homes.
As stated by the report, the army has also been accused of "massive and systematic rape and s3xual violence; deliberate destruction of food and sources of food".
About 65,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since October 2016, following a deadly attack on a military post that resulted in a security crackdown against the minority group.
Myanmar's army had launched clearance operations while searching for fighters behind deadly raids on police boarders last year.
Human rights groups say the military operation has been abusive enough to be categorised as crimes against humanity.
Aljazeera