Four Killed in Myanmar Church Attack
Four people have been killed in an attack on a Catholic church in Myanmar. In response, Cardinal Bo has issued a statement demanding that the violence stops.
By ACN Staff
The cathedral of Banmaw Diocese, Myanmar. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need/Magdalena Wolnik)
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, has made an appeal to the world following a deadly attack and shooting at Sacred Heart Catholic church in the city of Kavanthayer on Pentecost Monday (24 May). The attack cost four people their lives and has left eight others injured. The church building was also badly damaged as a result of the attack.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
According to international media, around 300 people had gathered in the church to seek refuge from fighting between the military and the “People's Defense Force”. The cardinal said the following in a statement passed on to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN):
“The midnight attack made the hapless people flee to the jungle…Their fate is still not known to the outside world. There are many children and old people among them, forced to starve and without any medical aid.”
The cardinal pointed out that schools, hospitals, and churches are all protected from attack during times of conflict by the Hague Convention.
Lamenting the violence that has occurred in Myanmar, the cardinal has said the following:
“Apart from all Protocols, let us remember the blood that is spilled is not some enemy’s blood…Those who died and those who were wounded are the citizens of this country.”
There is wider unrest in Myanmar, this follows the military seizing power in February of this year. For example, the cardinal said that over 20,000 people have been forced to flee the fight in the city of Loikaw, which is close to the boarder with Thailand.
The cardinal has demanded that the violence needs to stop. Ordinary people are suffering enough from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cardinal Bo explains that adding conflict on top of this is “a cruel anomaly”.
Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern, Executive President of Aid to the Church in Need. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
There have been reports of the military opening fire on the Catholic cathedral in Pekhon city on Pentecost.
The Executive President of ACN, Dr. Thomas Heine-Geldern spoke about the recent events in Myanmar:
“The recent escalation in violence on Whitsunday this year, which did not even stop short of attacking places of worship and defenceless people, has shaken us profoundly…For months now the people of Myanmar have been going through a time of profound darkness. The Church is emphasising, both by her appeals and still more by her work, that as a small minority in the country she will do everything possible to promote peace and the development of the nation, as well as supporting people in their misery, which has been made still worse by the pandemic.
What Christians in Myanmar need, in addition to our practical help, is prayer. This was something Cardinal Bo also emphasised in his appeal. Let us pray to the Lord that the political and military decision-makers in Myanmar will come to see reason and good sense and that peace may soon prevail again in the country.”
ACN has been supporting priests, catechists and religious sisters in Myanmar during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has also been providing support to families in need.