Home News Catholic community in Myanmar clings to faith amid displacement and violence

Catholic community in Myanmar clings to faith amid displacement and violence

The diocesan representative for the Holy Year 2025 in the Diocese of Loikaw said that despite displacement, hunger, and the hardships of life in refugee camps, Catholics remain steadfast, celebrating the Jubilee Year with resilience and hope.

Fr. Paul Pa said the Catholic community in the Burmese state of Kayah, about 90,000 strong, is striving for unity despite ongoing clashes between the military and opposition forces, according to a report by Fides News Agency. 

Since November 2023, when the military seized Christ the King Cathedral and the Pastoral Complex, Catholics have been observing what they call a “Jubilee in exile.”



“It is a deep wound for the local church, which, however, ‘does not lose hope,’” said Fr. Paul Pa. “Since we could not use the cathedral church as the Jubilee church, we have designated the Mother of God parish church in Sondu, where our Bishop Celso Ba Shwe currently resides, as the co-cathedral.”

The diocese has also designated several other pilgrimage sites, including the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Yusamoso, St. Joseph’s Church in Hoya, the Sacred Heart Church in Dorokhu, and the church in Mese. 

These sites have been provided with a guide for Jubilee celebrations, pilgrimages, and indulgence petitions, delivered by “itinerant priests” who minister throughout the region.

During the Jubilee’s opening service, Bishop Celso Ba Shwe urged the faithful to “hold on to hope” and reassured them that “the Lord is with us, he supports us, he is the source of our hope.” 

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He emphasized that “hope comes from solidarity and mutual charity in this time of desert, darkness, suffering, displacement.”

Like other priests in the diocese, Fr. Paul Pa constantly visits Jubilee churches and refugee camps, witnessing the faith of pilgrims. 

“They arrive after long marches on foot, stop to pray, are moved, ask God for help, receive the sacraments, gain indulgences,” he said. He described the clergy’s work today as “above all a service of consolation and support for the afflicted.”

To uplift spirits, the faithful have been given a “Jubilee song” and a special prayer. “We say to the faithful: may a special shower of graces be upon you all, and we bless you,” Fr. Paul Pa shared.

Beyond spiritual support, the church provides humanitarian aid to displaced persons, children, the elderly, and the sick. However, even Catholic-run health centers and clinics are struggling with severe shortages.

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