HAKHA (LiCAS News): “They destroyed the walls of the church, but not the faith. Our faith remains strong, the people of God in Falam continue to believe and hope. The faithful will rebuild the Church of Christ the King, everyone will do their part,” said Bishop Lucius Hre Kung of Hakha, during a pastoral visit to the ruins of the church, according to a report by Fides.
Airstrikes by the army of Myanmar’s ruling junta destroyed the church in Falam, Chin State, earlier this year. It was completed and consecrated in November 2023 for about 1,000 Catholics in Falam.
“In this moment of suffering and trial, we remain firmly anchored in prayer and united with the heart of Christ and the heart of Mary, who take upon themselves all the sufferings of humanity. Jesus and Mary give us the strength and hope to continue and hope for a future of peace,” he said.
Falam was caught in fighting between the Chinland Defense Force [CDF] and the army of the Myanmese junta. When CDF forces took control of the town, government troops launched airstrikes on the area, damaging the new parish church.
“It was a very beautiful church, and the parish was happy to take care of it. I hope it can be rebuilt soon. I look with sadness at pictures of priests of the diocese being ordained there,” Father Paulinus G.K. Shing, a local priest, said.
The airstrikes also damaged the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Mindat [Sunday Examiner. February 23], which had been designated as the future cathedral of the newly founded Diocese of Mindat, established on January 25.
According to the Chin Human Rights Organisation, at least 107 religious buildings—67 of them churches—have been destroyed in Chin State since 2021.
Meanwhile, in central Myanmar, Catholics face another threat. In Taungngu, authorities plan to demolish the Sacred Heart Cathedral and 19 Buddhist temples to make way for excavation works in the 16th-century city of Toungoo-Ketumati [Sunday Examiner, August 31].
