By Lisa Zengarini
As the Church begins the Jubilee of Hope, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) has expressed his heartfelt hope that the new year may also finally bring peace to the nation, ravaged by nearly four years of civil war.
“May 2025 be the year when peace blossoms in every heart and every corner of Myanmar”, the Archbishop of Yangon, also former President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), wrote in a Message for the New Year.
Nearly four years of civil war in Myanmar
Myanmar has been in turmoil since Feb 1, 2021 when the military overthrew an elected civilian government led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) and violently suppressed pro-democracy protests, sparking a nationwide armed rebellion involving the several ethnic groups that make up the country.
Since the coup over 6,000 civilians have been killed by security forces and over 28,000 have been arrested, including Suu Kyi who is serving a 27-year sentence tied to 14 criminal charges ranging from incitement and election fraud to corruption.
However, since the coup, the Myanmar military, who enjoy the backing of China and Russia, has faced defeat after defeat in its battle against various ethnic armed alliances, which now control more than half of the country.
The UN has condemned the military in Myanmar for committing “systematic human rights violations, many of them war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Call for an immediate end of the violence and protecting civilians
In his message, reported UCA News agency, Cardinal Bo, who has repeatedly appealed for reconciliation over the past years, outlined a vision for Myanmar’s path to reclaiming its dignity and hope.
He called for an immediate end to violence and the prioritization of protecting civilians, particularly children, emphasizing that “no life is diminished, no community marginalized.”
According to the UN, which has condemned the military in Myanmar for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, the conflict has displaced more than 3.3 million civilians in the nation of 54 million and also pushed more than half the population to live below the poverty line.
Reconciliation and justice as a way to peace
Cardinal Bo said young people are “the architects of peace,” stressing the urgent need for the nation to offer them opportunities and education. By doing so, he said , “we empower them to rebuild not only their lives but the soul of our nation ”
The head of the Burmese bishops also suggested reconciliation as a way for peace. “Reconciliation is not just a process; it is a choice — a choice to love beyond the pain, to build beyond the destruction,” he said.
Establishing justice and dignity also leads to peace, Cardinal Bo noted. “True peace transcends the absence of war; it embodies the presence of justice, security, and dignity for all,” he said. “It’s is built on the foundation of trust, nourished by compassion, and sustained by hope.“
Failure of diplomatic efforts to bring about peace
Despite the repeated calls to end violence from the local Church and also Pope Francis, the Burmese military junta has shown no signs of easing the oppression in ethnic regions, mainly in the predominantly Christian and Bamar-majority regions. Catholic churches in Kayah and Chin states have been razed to the ground by airstrikes and artillery shelling, forcing thousands to flee.
All diplomatic efforts carried out so far, in particular by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), have failed to end the conflict and the junta’s promises to hold elections in 2025 have met widespread skepticism. On the other hand, country’s fragmentation into several ethnic entities risks leading to a kind of Balkanization making it difficult to reunify in the future, even if a democratic regime is restored.
Recent amnesty
Meanwhile, on Jan 4, the military government announced the release of nearly 6,000 prisoners under an amnesty marking the Southeast Asian nation’s independence day. However, there was no sign that the release would include Aung San Suu Kyi. – Vatican News
