Church bombed as Myanmar junta continues attacks after earthquake

Communities in central Myanmar were terrified again on 13 April when a fresh tremor hit, causing panic among Catholics attending Palm Sunday Masses.

The forces of Myanmar’s ruling junta bombed the Church of Christ the King in the town of Falam in Chin State on 8 April. The church, in the Diocese of Hakha, was consecrated and opened for worship less than two years ago.

Over the last nine months, Falam has seen fighting between the army and the “Chinland Defence Force”, a local militia formed to resist the junta. According to the Chin Human Rights Organisation, at least 107 religious buildings including 67 churches have been destroyed in the state since 2021, mostly by aerial bombings.

The 406,000 Christians in the mountainous state make up around 85 per cent of its total population of 478,000. Among them, more than 65,500 have been forced from their homes by the fighting which has destabilised the country for four years, since Min Aung Hlaing’s military seized power from the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 2021.

On 11 April, the United Nations rights office criticised continued attacks by Myanmar’s military despite a ceasefire with rebels declared following the earthquake on 28 March which killed more than 3,600 people and injured at least 5,000.

In a statement, UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said “military forces have reportedly carried out over 120 attacks” since the earthquake and “more than half of them were after their declared ceasefire was due to have gone into effect on 2 April”. The UN special envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop emphasised the urgent need for humanitarian access to all those in need, unimpeded by violence.

Communities in central Myanmar were terrified again on 13 April when a fresh tremor hit, causing panic among Catholics attending Palm Sunday Masses.

“While the priest was reading the gospel, we heard the sound of shaking windows that led to many churchgoers running away from a hall,” said Henry Hein, from St John’s church in Mandalay. Five churches in Mandalay, including St John’s, were damaged on 28 March, forcing Catholics to attend daily and Sunday Masses in the community hall of the churches or makeshift tents in church compounds. “The Mass resumed a few minutes later and was completed,” Hein reported.

“The bulbs on the ceilings were shaken while we were in the Palm Sunday Mass and this prompted the parish priest to pause the Gospel reading for a few minutes,” said Joseph Aung, from St Joseph Church in the same city.

Church groups, including the the Archdiocese of Mandalay’s Emergency Response Team and Caritas organisations in Myanmar, responded to demand for assistance but said more supplies were required. UN figures showed that of 17 million people affected by the earthquake, two million people have been forced into critical need of assistance and protection, intensifying already severe demand in a country that had nearly 20 million people in need of aid before the disaster.

Aid workers warned of the growing risk of disease, after heavy rain worsened conditions further for families living outside in makeshift shelters. Overcrowded shelter sites and a critical lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities led the UN to warn of a risk of waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea and cholera, as well as a shortage of essential medical care.

Caritas Internationalis and its member agencies have mobilised. Christian Modino Hok, humanitarian director at Caritas Internationalis, said last week that “as we confront the vast scale of devastation and prepare for a prolonged recovery, any support we can get will make a big difference, bringing hope to those who need it most.”

The Archbishop of Yangon Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, said the Catholic community was “deeply touched by the promise of support by the Catholic Church everywhere”. The cardinal recommended that the “Church’s personnel and religious groups would be the best channel to bring assistance”.

Cardinal Bo describes ‘crushing anxiety’ in Myanmar after earthquake

Myanmar government urged to ‘silence the guns’ for earthquake relief

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