The lights of Easter Vigil illuminated a community marked by suffering. After three years, some faithful returned to the Church of Christ the King. It had been occupied by the Myanmar military, forcing the local population to flee. Bishop Celso Ba Shwe has remained with the displaced in the forest. “We ask God for a time of peace and reconciliation,” he said.
Twelve months after the earthquake which, according to official figures, claimed at least 5,000 lives, Caritas and CAFOD continue to support the affected communities. Many people are still displaced and living in even more precarious conditions due to poverty and civil war. Reconstruction remains slow and the needs are still enormous, warn organisations on the ground.
Myanmar’s military junta has introduced new restrictions on fuel, including petrol, while its planes hit a facility housing more than a hundred internally displaced people in Sagaing. Activists have documented how millions of litres of fuel are being diverted to the air force, despite the fuel shortages paralysing the country.
A Lenten initiative from the country’s bishops, with a call to pray “that God may grant his peace to the world and to Myanmar, and that there may be mutual understanding and progress in unity”. In a country where civil society has been systematically dismantled, the importance of such gestures, which also draw the world’s attention to the suffering of the people of Myanmar.
They arrived in Burma in 1865, maintaining a constant presence in the service of vulnerable people. Active in nine communities, they provide education, healthcare and support to women who are victims of violence, trafficking and poverty, in a country marked by political instability and war. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo: “A testimony of love that knows no bounds”.
Presented as a "tax measure”, the requirement further tightens digital surveillance in a country torn by civil war for more than five years following a military coup. By tracking devices, the regime is not only repressing dissent, but also undermining people’s daily survival thanks to high-tech tools made available by Chinese firms.
