‘Trust in God’ Myanmar bishops urge suffering dioceses

In the earthquake-struck Sagaing region, an airstrike on a Buddhist monastery killed 23 people who were taking shelter in the compound in Lin Ta Lu village near Mandalay.

Three bishops in central Myanmar urged their people to trust in God despite the hardships of the civil war and the effects of March’s devastating earthquake.

In a joint pastoral letter issued last week titled “Do not let your hearts be troubled”, Bishop John Mung-ngawn La Sam of Myitkyina, Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam of Banmaw, and Bishop Lucas Dau Ze Jeimphaung of Lashio called their dioceses to hope despite years of violence.

“Over the past four years the fighting has led to the destruction of lives, families, farms, and land, as well as the displacement of thousands of people to refugee camps,” they said, leaving many people “worried about their safety and their children’s education”. The earthquake “once again shook central Myanmar, collapsing houses, and injuring and killing many people”.

All three bishops have been forced to leave their homes because of bombing, like many in their dioceses. Most of their pastoral work is with displaced people, travelling between camps across the region.

“No matter how difficult our situation may be, if we pray to God every day 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,” their letter said.

The bishops recalled that “many countries in the world are suffering from natural disasters, terrorism, wars, death, illness, and infirmity”, asking Catholics to “pray, encourage, console, and help one another in this Holy Year, which, despite everything, is full of hope”.   

In the earthquake-struck Sagaing region, an air strike on a Buddhist monastery on 11 July killed 23 people, including four children. They were among 150 people taking shelter in the compound in Lin Ta Lu village, about 20 miles north-west of Mandalay.

Myanmar’s civil war broke out in February 2021, when the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms.  

Fighting blights large parts of the country, while the military continues to launch air strikes and artillery attacks on rebel-controlled areas even after the effects of the earthquake which killed almost 3,700 people.

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