Radio Veritas Asia launched new Akha and Kayan language broadcasts in Myanmar on Pentecost Sunday, expanding the Catholic Church’s media outreach to ethnic minority communities amid ongoing conflict and growing concerns over disinformation.
The new broadcasts were inaugurated on May 24 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon during a ceremony led by Cardinal Charles Bo, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar and patron bishop of Myanmar RVA Language Services.
Cardinal Bo described the occasion as “a blessed day for the Church in Myanmar.”
“Today is the launching day of Radio Veritas Asia Akha Service and Radio Veritas Asia Kayan Service,” he said.
Church leaders said the expansion aims to strengthen evangelization while providing faith-based content and spiritual support to communities facing hardship and uncertainty.
The Akha broadcast is expected to reach around 700,000 Akha people worldwide. In Myanmar’s Kengtung Diocese, most of the approximately 73,000 Catholics belong to the Akha community.
The Kayan broadcast, meanwhile, will serve an estimated 250,000 Kayan people in Myanmar, about 60 percent of whom are Catholic. Their communities are concentrated in Pekhon, Loikaw, Taungngu, and Taunggyi archdioceses and dioceses.
With the addition of the two new broadcasts, Myanmar now hosts 12 RVA language platforms, including Myanmar, Sgaw Karen, Pwo Karen, Kachin Jinghpaw, Kachin Lisu, Kachin Rawang, Hakha Chin, Falam Chin, Tedim Chin, and K’Cho (Mindat). The expansion also brings RVA’s global network to 23 language services.
RVA produces daily radio and digital content that includes reflections, Sunday homilies, Church news, youth and family programs, papal messages, environmental content, and programs focused on “triple dialogue.”
“These services provide essential faith-based content and spiritual support through the Word of God to people in need,” Cardinal Bo said.
Ahead of the launch, newly recruited Akha and Kayan staff joined personnel from the Sgaw Karen and Pwo Karen broadcasts for a training program held from May 11 to 20 at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar in Yangon.
During a visit to the trainees on May 16, Bishop Celso Ba Shwe, chair of the CBCM Office of Social Communication, encouraged participants by saying, “RVA could bring the message of the Gospel to the peripheries.”
Addressing the trainees days later, Cardinal Bo emphasized the importance of ethnic identity and truthful communication during Myanmar’s continuing crisis.
“Every language and ethnic group is alive and valuable,” he said. “Akha and Kayan languages will bring the Good News to families, young people, the elderly, and society, touching people’s hearts.”
He also described RVA as “a bridge connecting people across borders and hardships,” especially during Myanmar’s “ongoing challenging times.”
“In the midst of fake news, Radio Veritas gives the Good News,” Cardinal Bo said. “Before ascending into heaven, Jesus commanded us to go to all nations and proclaim the Good News. It is not an option; it is Christ’s mandate.”
Msgr. Andrea Ferrante, chargé d’affaires of the Vatican mission in Myanmar, also welcomed the expansion during a meeting with trainees on May 19.
He urged the new communicators to become “voices of hope” amid suffering and uncertainty while stressing ethical communication and the responsible use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
“Communication is not merely transmitting information,” Ferrante said. “It is creating culture and spaces for dialogue and encounter.”
Church leaders said the launch reflects RVA’s broader mission of evangelization, peacebuilding, and spiritual accompaniment for ethnic communities across Myanmar and beyond.
