YANGON (UCAN): The Church in strife-torn Myanmar will send no delegates to the World Youth Day [WYD] this year according to Father Joseph Saw Eh Khaw Htoo, director of the National Catholic Youth Commission.
The country’s bishops had encouraged the commission to send a delegation to the August 1 to 6 event in Lisbon, Portugal, but Father Khaw Htoo lamented, “The reality was not favourable… We faced challenges including funding woes for [bearing] the cost of delegates and the political instability in our country.”
He said that following meetings with diocesan directors and youth leaders, they decided not to send a delegation.
Ten young people from Myanmar attended the previous WYD in Panama in 2019.
Maximilian Menu, president of the National Catholic Youth Commission, said they had registered the Myanmar delegation for the event but did not proceed with the visa process following a meeting in May.
The decision was conveyed to the bishops during their meeting in June, Menu said.
“Some young people wanted to join the event, but all the directors and youth leaders agreed on the final decision following the difficulties under the present situation in the country,” he said.
Myanmar continues to reel from a massive socio-economic and political crisis following the military takeover on 1 February 2021.
The return of military junta after a brief period of civilian rule reignited armed insurgency from ethnic rebel groups who are joined by newly emerged, youth-led Peoples’ Defense Forces, resulting in a deadly civil war in many regions.
The Church has been facing the brunt of the violence. Five out of 16 dioceses in the country—Loikaw, Pekhon, Hakha, Kalay and Mandalay—have witnessed a series of skirmishes between the military and resistance forces, destruction of religious places and villages, and deaths.
Nicholas Joseph Kaung, a youth leader from the Archdiocese of Yangon, said he is upset about the inability to attend WYD.
“I wanted to join the event as it is a rare chance. It is sad,” said the 26-year-old.
He hopes to join the next World Youth Day.
