Pope Francis has said that Myanmar is suffering from civil conflict and hostilities "that have lasted all too long and created deep divisions" but he did not refer to the minority Rohingya Muslims.
He was speaking after holding talks with the country's leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the second day of his visit to the country.
Pope Francis said: "The arduous process of peace building and national reconciliation can only advance through a commitment to justice and respect for human rights."
He was responding to a speech by Ms Suu Kyi in which she said there had been an erosion of trust and understanding between the communities of Rakhine state.
But she did not refer to the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled since a military crackdown there.
Ms Sui Kyi has faced worldwide criticism after expressing doubts about reports of human rights abuses against the Rohingya minority and failing to condemn the military.
More than 600,000 Rohingyas have fled from Rakhine state to Bangladesh since August.
Pope Francis held private talks with Myanmar's military chief yesterday after arriving from Rome.
The Myanmar government has warned that there may be violent protests if he uses the word Rohingya during his time in the country.
The United Nations Human Rights Council said it would examine the situation of Muslim Rohingyas and other minorities in Myanmar, in a special session on 5 December in Geneva.
The request for the session, submitted by Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, has been backed by a total of 33 member states of the 47-member forum, including those two countries, it said.
