Pope Francis' visit to Dhaka begins today. It will be a celebration of Bangladesh's tradition of harmonious living between people of various faiths and ethnicity, Catholic Church officials said.

It's also an appreciation of the church's contribution to the country's socio-economic spheres, especially in education and healthcare, they said.

"People here have a unique cultural identity and tradition. There is great inter-religious respect and harmony. His visit is a celebration of this culture of human values," said Archbishop Patrick D' Rozario, who was appointed cardinal last year, the first cardinal from Bangladesh.

Church officials say the Pope's appointment of a cardinal from here and his visit to Bangladesh means he cares about the small church here and that the Vatican wants to strengthen ties with the country.

The Vatican recognised Bangladesh immediately after its independence and established diplomatic relations in February, 1973.

"Bangladesh has an exceptional relationship with the Vatican. It is not economic but based on humanity, morality and spirituality," the cardinal told The Daily Star.

The small Christian community plays a significant role in socio-economic development of Bangladesh, which has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty, improving health and education status, he said.

Pope Francis is very eager to learn of these aspects and talk about the marginalised people-- farmers, workers, climate change victims-- who are always a concern for the Vatican, the cardinal added.  

POPE'S VISIT BRINGS JOY AND HOPE

Alo D' Rozario said the fact that Pope comes to celebrate peace and harmony in Bangladesh is a matter of immense joy, hope and pride for the Christian community.

There are not many countries in the world where Muslims and Christians have such peaceful and harmonious living. There are some scattered incidents of attacks on minorities, but that is not always because of religion, but for other socio-economic reasons, he said.

During his visit from November 30-December 2, Pope Francis, spiritual leader of the world's 1.29 billion Catholics and head of Vatican, will meet the President, Prime Minister, high officials, diplomatic corps, civil society, Catholic and inter-religious leaders.

Jude Quiah, 45, a lab officer at Notre Dame College, said Christians are proud of the papal's visit because he is not only concerned with Catholics, but of the communities that are poor and oppressed. He is also raising a voice for the Rohingyas, he added.

"We live in a country far from where the Pope is. I am excited to see him and attend a prayer he leads," he said of the prayer service at Suhrawardy Udyan to be held tomorrow where over 80,000 Catholics would gather and pray for peace and harmony.

Pope's humility and liberal remarks have already made him more acceptable to the youths, said Quiah, former leader of Bangladesh Catholic Students' Movement. 

"I am more inspired by the human values he preaches. I take pride of it," he said.

CHRISTIANITY IN BANGLADESH

The Portuguese were the first to begin preaching Christianity in this region, building the first churches in the 16th century, in Chittagong. Eventually, missionaries from Italy, England, US, Canada and some other European countries also arrived.

At the same time, they established schools, hospitals, dispensaries, boarding schools, hostels and orphanages. Now there are some eight lakh Christians in the country-- four lakh Catholics and the rest Protestants.

CONTRIBUTION

The Catholic Church runs some of the finest educational institutions in Bangladesh, notably Notre Dame College, Holy Cross College, Saint Joseph School and College, Saint Gregory's High School in Dhaka, Saint Placid's School in Chittagong and Saint Philip's School in Dinajpur etc.

Brother Bijoy Herold Rodriques, secretary of Bangladesh Catholic Education Board, said there are nearly 500 primary and high schools run by the Catholic Church. At any given time, some 60,000 students study in these schools. 

Besides, the church runs 124 hostels and orphanages, 75 hospitals and dispensaries, 25 vocational training institutes, 13 colleges, and one university.

Rohingya refugee Mohammad Nurulla and his wife Hajera Khatoon with their children are due to meet Pope Francis during his upcoming visit to Dhaka. The picture was taken at their makeshift home at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar yesterday. Photo: AFP

There are eight geographical regions of Catholic Church – Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Barisal, Sylhet – known as diocese. Each diocese has a bishop. Under a bishop, there are several Catholic communities, known as the parish.

According to the Catholic directory, there are a total of 97 parishes – each led by a priest in Bangladesh. Under each parish, there is at least a primary and a high school or both. Based on the needs, there are hostels, dispensaries, hospitals or orphanages run by the Catholic religious personnel – Brothers and Sisters.

There are a total of 416 Catholic priests, 123 Brothers and 1218 Sisters serving the needs of spirituality of the Christians, and working for education, healthcare and other social welfare activities for all.

Protestant churches too have a good number of educational and healthcare institutions providing quality services all across Bangladesh.

"We are a small community, but our work is not. We are also not limited to working only for the Christians, but for all. This is because Jesus Christ has asked us to serve humanity," said Bishop Gervas Rozario, vice president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB).

Missionary schools are reputed because teachers here provide not only education, but also human and moral values and discipline, he told The Daily Star.

CBCB's Healthcare Commission Secretary Dr Edward Pallab Rozario said most of the Christian hospitals and dispensaries are located in the rural areas and provide much-needed services to the people.

Nursing has been a traditional profession for Christian women as they have been attached to foreign missionary doctors and nurses since the early days of Christianity here. There are some 5,000 Catholic nurses, almost 1200 only in Dhaka, serving in private and public hospitals, he said.

Dr Alo D' Rozario, former executive director of Caritas Bangladesh, social services wing of the Catholic Church, said they began operations with the rehabilitation programme after the cyclone in 1970.

Eventually, the NGO, one of the biggest in Bangladesh, began to work in education, vocational training, economic and environmental sectors all across Bangladesh, he added.