Pope Francis reiterated this week his call for the international community to help in bringing peace and reconciliation to Myanmar.
“For a year now, we have been watching the violence in Myanmar with sorrow,” said the pope in his weekly address on Wednesday, February 2.
“I echo the appeal of the Burmese bishops for the international community to work for reconciliation between the parties concerned,” he said using the old name of Myanmar.
“We cannot look away from the suffering of so many brothers and sisters. Let us ask God in prayer for consolation for this tormented population,” said Pope Francis.
On February 1, the people of Myanmar marked the first anniversary of the February 1, 2021, military takeover that ousted the country’s civilian government.
Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, has earlier called on the international community to”show greater attention to solving the issues of Myanmar.”
The cardinal said that the international community might have been “distracted” by other conflicts in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Ethiopia, “but Myanmar is also torn apart and the economy is collapsing.”
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called for an “immediate cessation of all forms of violence” in Myanmar and expressed hope that a special envoy would be allowed to travel there to mediate the crisis.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations wants to send its representative, Cambodia’s foreign minister Prak Sokhonn, to Myanmar.
The UN Security Council looks forward to the minister’s visit to Myanmar “at the earliest opportunity to meet with all parties concerned and carry out mediation that facilitates the dialogue process, as well as the provision of humanitarian assistance,” the body said in a statement.
In the statement, drafted by Britain and passed unanimously on the first anniversary of the deadly coup, the Council “expressed deep concern at further recent violence in the country and expressed alarm at the large numbers of internally displaced.”
More than 1,500 people have been killed by security forces and more than 11,000 arrested since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.
The country’s former civilian leader, Nobel prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and former president Win Myint have been jailed.
In its statement, the Council renewed calls for the two leaders to be released and “reiterated the need for full, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need, and for the full protection, safety and security of humanitarian and medical personnel.” – with a report from Agence France Presse
