Pope Francis denounced child prostitution and sex tourism during his visit to Thailand. "I also think of all those women and children of our time who are particularly hurt and raped, and subjected to all forms of exploitation, slavery, violence and abuse," said the head of the Catholic Church.
Francis first met Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in the capital Bangkok. Then there was a meeting with King Maha Vajiralongkorn. In the evening he wants to read a Mass to tens of thousands of believers. In Thailand, the majority of the population is Buddhist. Catholics are a small minority with fewer than 400,000 believers.
At the meeting with Prime Minister Prayut, a former coup general, Francis praised "the government's efforts" to eradicate the "plague" of exploitation of women and children. He appealed to the government to "eradicate this evil and offer a way to restore their dignity".
Many suitors travel from Germany
Sex tourism and child prostitution are common in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Many men also travel from Germany for this reason. Actually, prostitution is banned in Thailand.
Prayut has ruled Thailand since a military coup in 2014. He has been prime minister of a coalition government since a spring parliamentary election that was overshadowed by allegations of manipulation. Francis praised the election during his visit as a "return to the normal democratic process".
High-level visits from Europe are relatively rare in Thailand. The Federal Government has also for years renounced sending ministers to Bangkok. By contrast, Prayut was on a visit to Berlin last year.
Pope demands better protection of migrants
In his meeting with the government, Francis also addressed the many migrants who come to Thailand in search of work from neighboring countries such as Myanmar or Laos. He said that every nation should protect migrants and refugees. "It's not just about migrants, it's also about the face we want to give our societies." Thailand's police have a reputation for cracking down on refugees.
Francis wants to promote the dialogue between religions in Thailand. At a meeting with the Supreme Patriarch of Buddhists, he recalled that religions should be "promoters and guarantors of brotherhood" and thus become "lighthouses of hope". This applies above all to "our world with its strong tendency to produce division and exclusion".