Joaquim Magalhães de Castro
Since the beginning of the civil war in Myanmar in 2021, there have been an increasing number of areas where fighting has taken place, where civilians have been living for too long as displaced people, facing continuous and increasing difficulties whenever they flee from areas of intense conflict. As far as the Catholic community is concerned, the Sagaing region is undoubtedly the most affected, with frequent bombings and “widespread suffering among the civilian population,” as recalled by Peter Sein Hlaing Oo, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, in the north-central part of the former Burma. For this reason, this local prelate, like other members of the local Church, view with optimism the words of Pope Leo XIV, who, during the Sunday Angelus prayer on June 15, recalled the ongoing fighting in Myanmar. “We appreciate Holy Father words and his concern for the suffering of the civilian population,” Father Peter Oo told Fides. The situation in the province of Sagaing remains precarious: countless villages have already been abandoned or simply reduced to rubble due to the constant bombings; their inhabitants, left helpless, no longer know where to find refuge. Until now, it has been the Catholic churches and parishes that have offered some comfort, but they have now reached a breaking point. All of them face serious logistical difficulties and are unable to meet the numerous requests. There are Catholic faithful both in areas controlled by the regime and in those dominated by resistance movements. And there are also, it is true, people without a defined position, caught in the crossfire. Faced with a “helpless and defenseless flock,” the priests, zealous in their pastoral activity, work courageously for everyone, especially the elderly, women and children, who often do not have even the minimum necessary for their sustenance. Together with other religious workers and catechists, they are providing social services in high-risk areas. However, never lose faith in Our Lord. “We continue to pray every day, celebrating Masses and prayer vigils for our people, for peace, for the future of the nation,” concluded the Vicar General.
Let us not forget that in Mandalay, in addition to the horrors of war, catholics are still experiencing the devastating effects of the violent earthquake of last March. At the time, these were the comforting words spoken by Dom Marco Tin Win, Archbishop of that diocese: “The more we suffer, the more we trust in God. Today, more than ever, our people believe in God’s mercy, in the certainty of His love. There is a divine message that transcends our human intelligence and understanding. The only way is to entrust ourselves to His merciful love and reaffirm our hope in God’s plan of salvation.”
At a time when there was much damage to the infrastructure – with electrical and telephone connections down – the Archbishop portrayed the local panorama and the spirit that animated – and still animates – the approximately 20,000 Catholics of Mandalay, many of whom still have no shelter. The Archbishop himself, together with the priests of the Curia, shared the fate of the homeless. Due to the structural damage to the cathedral and the episcopal palace, Dom Marco Tin Win spent several nights on the streets for safety reasons, experiencing firsthand what it is like to be homeless.
Today, families continue to mourn and there is serious damage to churches and pastoral institutions. Namely: the churches of Our Lady Help of Christians in the city of Sagaing, Our Lady of Lourdes in the city of Yamethin and Saints Joachim and Anne in the parish of Sint Kaing collapsed. Of the 40 churches in the diocese, these three were the most severely affected. The others, however, all have small or large cracks. Around 25 temples are no longer suitable for the safe celebration of religious services and the Intermediate Seminary in the city of Mandalay was severely damaged, as was the Minor Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin, which has cracks in the structure of the building. However, in the Archbishop’s view, the tragedy did not extinguish the Faith, but rather unleashed a dynamic of incessant prayer “while we were at the height of the pain between the war and the earthquake”. Even in this terrible chaos, no one felt at the mercy of the events: they suffered together, consoled each other and prayed as one.
“Disaster situations,” continues Arcebishop Marco Tin Win, “bring people together regardless of ethnicity, faith or social class. I saw how people supported each other and showed increasing solidarity and charity. So many people of good will have placed themselves at the service of the victims, and this is a beautiful sign.”
During arduous times, the greatest refuge is prayer. The Catholic community prayed that the souls of the deceased would be welcomed by the Lord. They prayed for the wounded, the weak and the abandoned, that they would be consoled. They asked God for the strength to be instruments of spiritual and humanitarian help, instruments of His love for each person. And they asked – above all – for peace for their beloved country, wounded by war and natural disasters.
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