VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis’ trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh will offer moments to recognize each nation’s struggle for independence, underline interreligious respect and encourage the local minority Catholic communities.

Pope Francis will visit Myanmar Nov. 27-30, just months after the Holy See announced it had established full diplomatic relations with the southeast Asian nation. He will meet with Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The visit also comes as serious questions have been raised about her government’s treatment of the Rohingya people, who are Muslim.

Pope Francis has appealed for their protection on several occasions, calling the Rohingya, “good people” who “are our brothers and sisters. They have been suffering for years. They have been tortured, killed, just because they want to keep their traditions and their Muslim faith.”

Another highlight on the trip – the pope’s 21st trip abroad in his five-year pontificate – will be meeting with the high-ranking Buddhist monks at the capital’s peace pagoda.

According to the Vatican’s latest statistics, Myanmar has about 659,000 Catholics out of a population of about 51 million. The pope will visit the capital of Bangladesh Nov. 30-Dec. 2.