Pope Francis called Friday for the world to take "decisive measures" on the Rohingya refugee crisis as he began a visit to Bangladesh, where more than 620,000 of the Muslim minority have sought sanctuary after fleeing violence in Myanmar.

"It is imperative that the international community take decisive measures to address this grave crisis," the pope said in a speech delivered shortly after arriving from Myanmar, where he avoided any direct reference to the crisis. He did not use the word Rohingya however.