Catholic Church of Myanmar was bombed days after being declared a cathedral by Pope Francis

A newly declared Catholic Cathedral in Myanmar was bombed by the military regime last week, in the midst of an ongoing conflict in the region.

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Mindat was seriously damaged by the air attacks of the Myanmar military regime in Chin, the only state of Christian majority in Myanmar.

Although the damages occurred on February 6, the news about the attack recently met. According to the FIDES agency, the information service of the pontifical mission works, the roof and the stained glass windows of the church were destroyed, so the temple was unusable. No injuries were recorded and the area was recently evacuated.

Less than two weeks before the attack, on January 25, Pope Francis designated the Church as a cathedral of the newly formed Diocese of Mindat. In the days before the attack, local Catholics were planning the next liturgical celebrations, including consecration of the newly appointed bishopEl P. Augustine’s journey. reported Fides.

The newly formed Diocese of Mindat has a total population of almost 360,000 inhabitants, with more than 14,000 Catholics and 23 parishes, according to The Holy See.

A local priest, identified as Fr. Paulinus, told Fides that the faithful are determined to rebuild.

“We are very sad because our church has been reached by the bombs. It is a wound in our heart. But we will not let ourselves be. We will rebuild it, ”said the local priest has affirmed the local priest. “We are sure that the Lord will” bombard us’ with his grace and blessing: this will bring peace and prosperity to our people. “

Shortly after the destruction of the Mindat Church, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, He urged Catholics to pray for those who were displaced by the violence of the conflict in Myanmar.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been plunged into a violent conflict After the military coup of early 2021, in which the Military Board overthrown to the elected government of the Nobel Peace Prize Aung San Suu Kyi, which had promised a new democratic era for the nation. The blow triggered a generalized resistance, mass protests and an escalation of armed conflicts throughout the country, which plunged Myanmar in his current humanitarian and human rights crisis.

According to estimates of the United Nations, since 2021, civil victims They have promoted More than 6,000, while millions of people have been displaced. The Military Board has killed Miles, arrested tens of thousands and bombarded hospitals, schools and religious buildings. The local economy has collapsed and the country is On the edge of the famine.

The Military Board announced elections for 2025 in which only parties approved by the Board can participate.

Since he obtained his independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, Myanmar has suffered repeated armed clashes and has passed decades under military regimebetween 1962 and 2011.

In recent years, Cardinal Bo has highlighted the Concerns about religious freedom. Although the predominantly Buddhist country protects religious freedom in its constitution, Cardinal Bo said that more than 100 places of worship were bombarded or damaged in the country of Southeast Asia. In April 2024, A priest from Myanmar was a mortal shot while celebrating a mass in the state of Kachin. The Nation has also experienced an ethnic base conflict, with more than 100 different ethnic groups in the country. Pope Francis visited Myanmar in 2017 after the horrible stories Human Rights Abuse of the Rohingya minority, a predominantly Muslim group to which citizens are denied in Myanmar.

Chinland’s defense force and other rebels supposedly control a large part of Chin’s state, in the northwest of Myanmar, where Mindat is located.

Shortly after the bombing, Cardinal Bo asked for prayers for Myanmar during an interreligious event, according to Vatican News.

“Let’s imagine a Myanmar where the divisions of the war give way to the unity of peace,” said Cardinal Bo.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.