by Santosh Digal

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines stresses Filipinos’ closeness to the Burmese people since both experienced violence under martial law. They offer prayers and massed for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Manila (AsiaNews) – The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called on the country’s Catholics to pray and offer masses for a “peaceful and non-violent solution to the situation in Myanmar.”  The bishops stressed that Filipinos can easily empathise with the Burmese people because of the Philippines’ own experience of repressive rule.

In a message read in every diocese, Mgr Angel Lagdameo, CBCP chairman and archbishop of Jaro, said that “[h]aving ourselves experienced what it is to be under Martial Rule and participated in the peaceful restoration of our democracy, we can understand as well as sympathize with the monks, people and bishops of Myanmar.”

A few days ago, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) sent a letter of solidarity to Mgr Paul Zinghtung Grawng, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar (CBCM), expressing their closeness and pain for the situation in Burma.

“We pray that the problems in your beloved country would be resolved through peaceful dialogue for the sake of the common good,” wrote Mgr Orlando Quevedo, FABC secretary general and archbishop of Cotabato (Philippines), in the letter.

• philippines
• myanmar
• bishops’
• conference
• angel
• lagdameo
• martial
• law
• paul
• zinghtung
• grawng