Pope Leo Asks World Not to Forget the People of Myanmar

At his General Audience on November 5, Pope Leo once again turned the world’s attention to the victims of ongoing wars, calling for prayer and solidarity with all who suffer the consequences of violence and conflict.

“I invite you,” the Holy Father said, “to join me in prayer for all who are tried by the violence of war in different parts of the world.”

According to Vatican News, the Pope made a special appeal for the people of Myanmar, urging the international community “not to forget the Burmese people and to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.”

A Nation in Crisis

Pope Leo’s prayers come as Myanmar continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Nearly five years after the military seized power in a coup that ousted the democratically elected government, the country remains gripped by conflict and instability.

What began in 2021 as peaceful protests against the coup soon escalated into nationwide armed resistance. The military junta’s brutal crackdown has led to the deaths of thousands and the displacement of more than three million people.

Entire villages have been destroyed by airstrikes and clashes between the military and pro-democracy forces. Millions more now live without adequate access to food, medicine, or shelter. The United Nations estimates that more than half of Myanmar’s population now requires humanitarian assistance.

The Rohingya Tragedy

As Vatican News also noted, the suffering of the people of Myanmar predates the 2021 coup. The country had already drawn international condemnation for the Rohingya crisis, one of the gravest human rights catastrophes in recent decades.

Beginning in August 2017, Myanmar’s military launched a violent campaign against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine State, marked by mass killings, sexual violence, torture, and the destruction of entire villages. A UN Fact-Finding Mission later described these actions as being carried out with “genocidal intent.”

More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, where most still live in overcrowded refugee camps. Those who remain in Myanmar continue to face severe restrictions on movement, denial of citizenship, and harsh living conditions resembling apartheid.

Cardinal Czerny’s Appeal

It is worth noting that only a day earlier, Cardinal Michael Felix Czerny, SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, who is on a pastoral visit to Bangladesh, expressed deep concern over the prolonged suffering of Rohingya refugees and internal migrants during a press conference at the CBCB Centre in Dhaka on November 4.

“I met internal migrants in Narayanganj and Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar,” Cardinal Czerny said. “Both situations are extremely challenging. For those in the camps, being stateless, unemployed, and confined for years is intolerable. It’s a real shame that the international community has not been able to provide a solution to this (Rohingya) problem.”