An Italian missionary-priest is undertaking a 450-kilometer bicycle journey with two compa-nions from northern Bangladesh to meet Pope Francis in the country’s capital Dhaka. Father Almir Trindade, 38, from Ponti-fical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) set off on the “pilgrimage” from St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dinajpur district on Nov. 20.
The priest is now at Gazipur district near Dhaka with two Oraon indigenous Catholics — Ripon Albinus Lakra, 25 and Ranjon Minj, 18.
They intend to attend the papal Mass at Suhrawarday Udyan Park at Ramna, Dhaka on Dec. 1. They will also attend an interfaith youth gathering at Church-run Notre Dame College on Dec. 2.
“Our journey is a pilgrimage. We have decided to take this journey as the Pope is coming as a pilgrim to Bangladesh from thousands of miles away, so we could do the same from here,” Father Trindade told.
