A Catholic group has released a prayer warning that Myanmar’s prolonged conflict, military repression, and humanitarian suffering continue to deepen.
Pax Christi Asia-Pacific urged the international community not to look away as the country endures yet another season of violence and loss.
Released during the Advent season, the prayer situates Myanmar’s current crisis within decades of military rule dating back to 1962.
It described how continuous conflict has left “the country in ruins” and its people facing autocracy, ethnic violence, displacement, and deepening poverty.
The reflection highlighted the role of Cardinal Charles Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, who has been a consistent voice for peace and reconciliation.
It recalled his appeal to the military and relevant authorities to recognize that “it takes far greater courage to wage peace than to wage war.”
The group traced Myanmar’s political trajectory through a brief period of limited opening that ended with the Feb. 1, 2021 coup, which dismantled what it described as a form of “guided” democracy.
In the aftermath, doctors, nurses, teachers, community workers, public servants, and others who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement were “severely punished,” while military operations continued.
The group also drew attention to a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the country months ago, killing more than 3,000 people and leaving thousands injured or missing.
Entire towns were flattened, infrastructure was destroyed, and access to aid was severely constrained, further intensifying the suffering of already vulnerable communities.
Despite these conditions, the group emphasized what it calls a spirit of “active hope,” particularly associated with Advent.
It noted that people continue to survive with “very meagre means,” supported by churches and other local networks sharing scarce resources to provide food, water, shelter, medical care, education for children, and spiritual strength.
The group said the people of Myanmar echo Cardinal Bo’s call for a national effort toward healing, reconstruction, and reconciliation, stressing that reconciliation does not mean forgetting past injustice but “transforming it.”
Warning that much of the world remains unaware of the crisis, the group urged readers to heed Pope Leo’s appeal “not to forget the Burmese people and to provide humanitarian assistance.”
The accompanying Advent prayer calls for God’s presence amid “fear, violence, and loss,” asks leaders to act with “mercy and compassion,” and prays for light to “shine in the darkness” as Myanmar continues to wait for peace.
