In a pastoral letter sent to Fides News Agency, three bishops from northern-central Myanmar, who are constantly relocating to seek refuge due to armed conflict and insecurity in their dioceses, have encouraged the faithful to remain steadfast in prayer despite the dire situation in the country.
Myitkyina Bishop John Mung-Ngawn La Sam, Banmaw Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam, and Lashio Bishop Lucas Dau Ze Jeimphaung urged everyone to pray to God daily “with faith and love.”
“We will be able to endure all difficulties and become bearers of the Cross with Jesus Christ, receiving His grace of consolation and encouragement,” they wrote.
Thousands of families have been displaced in Myanmar since the civil war broke out in February 2021, when the military junta seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Air strikes have become increasingly frequent, with the most recent one hitting a Buddhist monastery in the Sagaing Region on July 11, killing 23 people, including four children. The region has yet to fully recover from the devastating earthquake last March, which killed nearly 3,700 people.
The bishops lamented how the earthquake has further exacerbated the ongoing civil war.
“[People are] worried about their safety and their children's education,” they wrote.
Holding up the saints who endured suffering for the sake of the Catholic faith as examples, the bishops encouraged the faithful to take inspiration from St. Paul’s words:
"We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
The letter also called on the faithful to pray for other regions around the world suffering from war, natural disasters, terrorism, and disease.
“Let us, without becoming discouraged, pray for lasting peace and implore peace from God with all our heart, mind, and strength,” they wrote. “Let us pray, encourage, console, and help one another in this Holy Year, which, despite everything, is full of hope.”
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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