(UCAN): The papal foundation Aid to the Church in Need [ACN] called for prayers to show solidarity with the people of Myanmar ahead of the first anniversary of the military coup [Sunday Examiner, 7 February 2021] on February 1.
“It has been a year of terror and suffering, which has disrupted the course of this Asian country. The response of the military leadership to the massive demonstrations against its abuse of power has been ruthless and brutal,” said a statement from ACN, which has been assisting persecuted Christians.
Catholic bishops in Myanmar have appealed for “humanitarian assistance for the thousands of displaced people” in the country while it will continue seeking “the fellowship of the universal Church and donor community to seek support to all our Myanmar people without any discrimination.”
The bishops said, “Human dignity and the right to life can never be compromised,” adding that “we strongly demand respect for life, respect for the sanctity of sanctuary in places of worship, hospitals, and schools.”
Fighting has intensified between junta forces and ethnic armed groups along with recently emerged people’s defense forces in recent weeks.
The junta has unleashed airstrikes and artillery shelling, forcing thousands of people including women, children, the elderly and the infirm to flee their homes to seek refuge in nearby jungles or churches in neighbouring villages and towns.
Churches and other community institutions are being deliberately targeted by junta forces in predominantly Christian Kayah, Chin and Karen states. The latest incident reported involved a parish church in the Diocese of Loikaw, Kayah state, which was hit by an airstrike.
At least 15 parishes in Loikaw have been severely affected by the escalating fighting, displacing more than 100,000 people, while at least seven Catholic churches in the diocese have been hit by artillery shelling and airstrikes.
ACN said the day of prayer would remember the dead and intercede for the innocent civilian population, especially internally displaced persons [IDP] including children, women, the elderly and the sick, regardless of ethnicity and faith.
“Let us pray for all these thousands on the move, many of them at risk of starving,” it said.
“As fighting intensifies, the Church is faced with a task with which it is sadly familiar because of the conflicts that have plagued Myanmar in the past: to attend to the increasingly large number of IDPs on church grounds, in the jungle or in camps,” the ACN statement said.
Nearly 1,500 people have been killed, including at least 50 children, and over 11,000 people have been arrested since the coup.
