Dhaka (AsiaNews)
- A more universal church and one that is increasingly composed of
contributions from every corner of the world. This
is the image imprinted in the hearts of Catholics in Bangladesh after the
election of Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope and Jesuit. A
figure known by few in the Asian country, but who has already won many over by
his open nature and the importance he has given to evangelization.
On
13 March, the day of his election, white smoke started at 19:06 (Italian time)
in Bangladesh it was one in the morning, but many were up to follow the live
broadcast and ran to wake their families to
find out who would appear on the loggia of the basilica.
Some
Catholics told AsiaNews that the
speed with which the election took place - after five ballots - is a cause
"of happiness, because it signifies that the Cardinals have found the
right person."
The
hope now is that Pope Francis will visit Asia as soon as possible, perhaps even
Bangladesh. "He's
older than we had bargained for - they say - but this is not a handicap. You
could carefully plan a route that is not too strenuous, even in places as far
away as Asia. Nobody demands that a pope go everywhere" .
And
the "distant" origins of Pope Francis - chosen by the cardinals from "close
to the end of the world", as he himself said in his first speech to the
faithful in St. Peter's Square - makes him "close" to the Asian
people. "He
comes from Argentina - they note - a country far from the geographic center of
the Church and also from the 'theological' center", just like Bangladesh and other Asian nations. "He
will undoubtedly have - some say - a special sensitivity and attention to our reality."
Out
of a population of 161 million people, Bangladeshi Catholics are a minority of
just 0.1%, against a population that is 89.5% Muslim and 9.6% Hindu. Although
there are no official figures, it is estimated that every year thousands of
people are converting to Catholicism.