An Ancient Catholic Church in Myanmar burnt down

129-year-old Assumption Church in Chan Thar village in the Archdiocese of Mandalay, Myanmar, was set fire on January 15.

According to the Fides news, the Burmese army torched the ancient Assumption Church in Chan Thar village in the Sagaing Region within the territory of Mandalay Archdiocese.

The church was built in 1894 and is one of Myanmar's ancient and historic churches. The first indigenous bishop of Myanmar, Archbishop Joseph U Win, was baptized in this church.

Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Mandalay Archdiocese told Fides News, "The violence rages especially in some areas. We do not lose hope because we know we have the Lord with us.”

He affirmed that the faithful trust in God because “the fact that the flames spared the adoration chapel of the destroyed church is a symbolic fact which consoles the faithful and reminds them that our only refuge is the Lord."

The archbishop grieved that the people of Myanmar are "living in a time of great suffering."

He asserted, “Half of the territory of the Archdiocese of Mandalay is affected by the clashes, and this worries us greatly. We are helping thousands of internally displaced persons in five centers set up in five Catholic parishes: we are doing what we can.”

The Fides News reported that the nearby 100-year-old convent of Franciscan Missionary of Mary (FMM) was also burnt down on the same day.

The convent was built in 1919, and three years ago, they celebrated the centenary jubilee.

The new clergy house was also burnt. It was blessed on the occasion of the Assumption Church’s 125 years Jubilee in 2019. -With inputs from Fides and Vatican News