Ordained bishop of Loikaw, Fr Celso Ba Shwe is a shepherd in the heart of Myanmar’s conflict
The episcopal investiture was held in Loikaw’s Cathedral of Christ the King, Kayah, a state marked by fighting with Myanmar’s military, during which churches have been destroyed and thousands of people displaced. “Your Kingdom come” is Bishop Ba Shwe’s chosen episcopal motto. “Today everyone thirsts for peace,” he says. “We must seek it in the Word of God,” and together “build the kingdom of peace and justice.”
Loikaw (AsiaNews) – “Your Kingdom come!” is the motto chosen by the new bishop of Loikaw, Fr Celso Ba Shwe, to reflect the horizon of a peace that only God can give, especially in a place torn by civil war for more than two years.
Archbishop Basil Athai of Taunggy led the episcopal ordination yesterday, feast of Saints Peter and Paul, in the presence of Card Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, in the Cathedral of Christ the King, in Loikaw, where the new prelate served as parish priest for 13 years
Loikaw is the capital of the eastern state of Kayah, one of the areas most affected by Myanmar’s civil war, but the city has one of the strongest Christian presence in the country, the result of the long-established ministry carried out by PIME missionaries.
Fr Celso, who was born in 1964 in Moblo, a local village, was appointed as the diocese’s apostolic administrator after it was left without a pastor following the sudden death of Bishop Stephen Tjephe in December 2020.
Since then, he has faced the arduous task of leading his flock, especially in the past two years, that is since country’s military seized power in a coup d'état on 1 February 2021.
“He is already the good shepherd who lives among the sheep with the smell of sheep, knowing their tears, wounds, dispersal,” said Card Bo in his homily during yesterday's celebration.
“God,” he added, “has called him to bear witness to the Way of the Cross and will lead him to the glory of the Resurrection, hope, peace, reconciliation and reconstruction of communities.”
Bishop Ba Shwe is well aware of the difficulties. “At this time, I discovered all my weaknesses, fatigue, powerlessness,” he said in a video posted on the YouTube channel of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar.
"For this reason, when I was told that I would be responsible for the diocese, I felt a lot of resistance within me. I said to myself: I am not capable of leading.
“But I received so much encouragement from those close to me, especially Bishop Emeritus Sotero Phamo, who reminded me that I would not be alone, that I would have by my side priests, religious sisters, the faithful of the Church. Then I knew it was the Lord's will and accepted.”
In the video the prelate speaks about his long vocational journey, marked by many difficulties: his father’s initial veto, his work as a public school teacher, finding himself in the seminary with much younger students better prepared in Latin and English.
“In recent weeks I thought a lot about the Gospel passage in which Jesus says that God does not reveal himself to the wise or the intelligent, but to the simple people.”
It is precisely with the latter that the new prelate wants to start his journey, in a wounded land, where churches have been destroyed and thousands of people forced to flee in the past two years. He calls for a fresh start, hence the invocation: “Your Kingdom come”.
“In this country I feel this is particularly relevant. Today everyone thirsts for peace,” Bishop Ba Shwe says. But “What does a true kingdom of freedom and justice mean? We must seek it in the Word of God, only He can give it in the hearts of everyone. Together with all the people of this land, we must build the kingdom of peace and justice.”
In addition to three symbols – the open book of the Word of God, the tree of life and a cross inside a crown indicating Christ the King – his episcopal coat of arms includes three colours: blue, red and white.
“Marian blue indicates peace. Red [means] the Holy Spirit but also the suffering of our present time, our martyrs: it is an invitation to have courage. White is the sign of purity.
Thus, “Let us pray and hope that God will fulfil his promise of life today not only for Loikaw and Myanmar, but also for the whole world.”
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