LOIKAW (UCAN): Bishop Celso Ba Shwe of Loikaw, Myanmar, a few priests, nuns, neaerly 50 of elderly people and patients who had taken refuge in Christ the King Cathedral were forced to leave following its occupation by troops of the military junta on November 27.
“It’s sorrowful to learn about the occupation of the junta troops in the cathedral complex. I feel broken as our holy place will be desecrated,” Katherine Mu, a resident of Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state, said on November 28.
The takeover occurred a day after the feast of Christ the King which this year was a low-key event with Bishop Shwe, who took charge in March this year, leading the Mass at the Bishop’s House.
“We’ve prayed for peace for the world, peace for our country, peace for our Kayah state, and Loikaw city,” Church officials said in a social media post on November 26.
Catholics in Myanmar are worried about the safety of the bishop and his team. More than 40,000 out of the city’s 50,000 population have fled junta air strikes and artillery bombardments against Karenni rebel forces in Kayah state since November 11.
The rebel groups, including the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, and the army are fighting for control of Loikaw.
The soldiers first entered the cathedral complex on November 26 but left following complaints by Church officials. However, they stormed the complex on November 27 and took control of it, Church officials said.
“On the evening of November 26, at least five shells fired by junta forces hit the compound. But there were no casualties,” a Church source, who declined to be named, said.
On November 13, Bishop Shwe postedn a message on Facebook saying that “we don’t want the deployment of troops inside Catholic churches and other religious buildings in Loikaw diocese for whatever reason.”
Nearly 26 of the 41 parishes in Loikaw have been abandoned, according to Church sources. Air strikes and shelling have hit dozens of churches and convents in the state.
Christians make up nearly six percent of Myanmar’s population of 54 million.
