Yangon: A new auxiliary bishop to support the faith even in dark times
On the feast day of St Joseph, the episcopal ordination of Mgr Raymond Wai Lin Htun, presided over by Card Charles Maung Bo. The Archbishop of Yangon warns against ethnic divisions: ‘Can we give in to the temptation to treat others on the basis of man-made identities, when instead we are all Children of God created in his image?’
Yangon (AsiaNews) – On the solemnity of St Joseph, the Church in Myanmar experienced the joy of the episcopal ordination of the new auxiliary bishop of Yangon, Mgr Raymond Wai Lin Htun, a 48-year-old priest appointed by Pope Francis on 27 December last.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the archbishop who will assist him in his ministry, presided over the solemn rite that also became an occasion to reflect on the Church's ministry in the country, now four years immersed in the drama of civil war.
In his homily, Cardinal Bo entrusted to the intercession of St Joseph the thousands of people who, as happened to him with the Holy Family, are now internally displaced in Myanmar ‘and are dealing with the anguish of their sons and daughters who have been forced to flee their homes, suffer from hunger and are afflicted by despair’.
Quoting the new bishop's motto - which reads ‘In hope we are saved’ (Romans 8:24) - and the times of ‘crisis and uncertainty’ that the country is experiencing, the Archbishop of Yangon invited Monsignor Wai Lin Htun to be ‘firm in the faith, like Abraham, who trusted in God's promises even when everything seemed impossible’.
To have faith ‘not in earthly solutions, but in the unshakeable providence of God, who remains sovereign even in the darkest hours’. ‘Remind the people - added Cardinal Bo - that God's justice and peace will prevail, even if we cannot see it yet’.
Finally, the Archbishop of Yangon took the opportunity of the ordination of the new auxiliary bishop to once again invite the country to unity. ‘The only war we need to fight,’ he said, ‘is the war against hatred and division.’
He also warned the Christians of Myanmar against this demon. ‘Can we identify ourselves with a cultural identity similar to a caste or with any other identity? Can we give in to the temptation to treat others on the basis of identities that are man-made, when instead we are all Children of God created in his image?’
‘In this Lenten season,’ concluded Cardinal Bo, ’let us repent for our divided hearts. Let discrimination based on cultural identities such as castes and tribes die at the foot of the Cross and may Christ reign in our hearts. Let hope be reborn. May all our wounds be healed and may the healing of our nation and the whole world begin’.
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