Mary McAleese, who has a gay son and has criticized the church’s position on L.G.B.T. issues, was invited to participate in a panel discussion on women in church governance.
In the past, Francis has strongly condemned the "persecution of our Rohingya brothers," denounced their suffering because of their faith and called for them to receive "full rights."
Pope Francis has made normalizing relations with China a priority. But the Vatican and China remain at odds over the Vatican's insistence that the pope have the authority to name bishops.