Mark of veneration: A priest blessing a statue of the Virgin Mary at Phra Mae Prachak Church in the central Thai province of Suphan Buri ahead of Pope Francis’ visit. — AFP
BANGKOK: The last time Vararunee Khonchanath was in the presence of a pope was before she was born just over 35 years ago, but when Pope Francis visits Bangkok later this week to bless Thailand’s tiny Catholic minority, she will be singing in the choir.
A sixth-generation Catholic of Portuguese-Thai ancestry, she lives in a 250-year-old community that is as old as the Thai capital itself.
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