Mandalay: Catholic priest killed, bishops call for an end to the violence
An armed gang shot to death a 44-year-old priest in a village in the Sagaing region. For the Bishops' Conference, he was an innocent victim of the war like countless others. For the Archbishop of Mandalay, Marco Tin Win, “this heartbreaking tragedy” should be a clarion call to “wake up and end the violence.”
Mandalay (AsiaNews) – The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) issued a statement today, condemning the brutal killing of Fr Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a 44-year-old Catholic priest, last Friday evening (14 February) in Sagaing, a region torn by a civil war that just marked its fourth year.
Fr Donald Martin, a priest with the Archdiocese of Mandalay, central Myanmar, was killed while carrying out his pastoral ministry in Our Lady of Lourdes parish, in Kan-Gyi-Daw, a village in Shwebo township, home to 38 Catholic families.
A group of armed men killed the clergyman and apparently disrespected his mortal remains, but it is unclear to what militia they belong.
“Fr. Donald Martin, along with Le Naing Win, shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for many innocent people to end the violence devastating the country,” the CBCM said in a press statement signed by Archbishop Card Charles Bo of Yangon.
With deep anguish and sadness, the CBCM goes on to say: “As the Church prays for justice, we urge those responsible to take full accountability for killing Fr Donald Martin and ensure that such tragedies do not happen again.”
“May the soul of Fr. Donald Martin Ye Naing Win rest in eternal peace through God's mercy,” the press release added.
Fr Donald Martin was born on 11 November 1981 and was ordained a priest on 20 March 2018 in the Church of the Assumption, Pyin Oo Lwin.
“Over the years he lived his service with unshakeable faith and courage, embodying his priestly motto taken from the Gospel of John ‘Do you love me more than these? Feed my lambs’ (Jn 21:15).
“Let us take lessons from this heartbreaking tragedy. We call upon all brothers and sisters to wake up and end the violence,” said Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Mandalay in his message.
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09/04/2022 15:52
