VATICAN (CNS): Pope Francis called on the international community to come to the aid of the people of Myanmar who continue to suffer from violence, displacement and starvation.
After praying the Angelus prayer on June 20 with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, the pope expressed his support for an appeal by Myanmar’s bishops, “calling the entire world’s attention to the heart-rending experience of thousands of people in that country who are displaced and have been dying of hunger.”
The pope said, “We plead with all to kindly allow humanitarian corridors and that churches, pagodas, monasteries, mosques, temples, as well as schools and hospitals be respected as neutral places of refuge.”
He added, “May the heart of Christ touch the hearts of everyone, bringing peace to Myanmar!”
The country has been rocked by violence since February 1, when the military seized power and overthrew the elected civilian government (Sunday Examiner, February 7).
Myanmar had been ruled by the military for more than 50 years before Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government took office in April 2016.
Commemorating the World Day of Refugees, Pope Francis also used his Angelus appointment to call on everyone to “open our hearts to refugees,” adding, “Let us make their sorrows and their joys our own; let us learn courageous resilience from them! And in this way, all together, we will make a more human community grow, one big family.”
