Pope Francis called for an end to violence in Myanmar at a special mass on Sunday after months of bloodshed.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, triggering a civilian uprising that authorities have sought to quell with lethal force.
Street protests have continued despite the junta's campaign, with one local monitoring group estimating that security forces had killed 790 people.
The pontiff did not denounce the military regime directly in his speech at the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica, but he urged more than 700,000 Catholics in Myanmar not to lose hope.
"Your beloved country of Myanmar is experiencing violence, conflict and repression," he said.
The Pope has promoted peace in Myanmar since the coup, urging the junta to respect a "democratic coexistence" with the people, while calling for the release of detained political leaders.
He visited the country in 2017 after denouncing the persecution of the country's Rohingya Muslim minority, who were subjected to a campaign of murder and rape by the military.
But he failed to mention the word "Rohingya" during a speech in Myanmar at an event with Ms Suu Kyi, who was criticised by the UN for her response to the crisis.
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
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