Ahead of his visit to Myanmar, Pope Francis on Friday excoriated politicians who foment fear of migrants, saying they were sowing violence and racism, and urged them to “practise the virtue of prudence” to help them integrate. Myanmar’s Catholic cardinal has defended Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi against “unfair” criticism over the military crackdown on Muslim Rohingya, and said that terming it “ethnic cleansing” was unhelpful and premature. When Pope Francis visits Myanmar on Monday the stakes will be extremely high, and some suggest he should be advised against going. However, he is probably the international leader best-suited to visit the Southeast Asian nation at this time, writes Xuan Loc Doan for Asia Times.