“Enough is enough. Time for healing. The people in the country cannot bear any more pain and violence.”
The cardinal said that he is “prayerfully hopeful” that stakeholders can follow the path of peace and reconciliation.
Bo underlined that the Church has consistently urged dialogue, the release of the detained, greater freedom of expression, and respect for basic human rights.
In addition to repression, Myanmar’s 54 million population has faced steep rises in food and fuel prices. The United Nations World Food Programme reported last year that up to 3.4 million more people will go hungry as a result of pre-existing poverty, the coronavirus crisis, and political instability.
“At this moment, what would be my message to the people of Myanmar? We feel your pain, your suffering, your starvation. We understand your disappointment. We understand your resistance, but to some who believe only in violent resistance, we say there are other means,” Bo said.
“To Christians, you have suffered heavily in this time. The church accompanies you in your way of the cross. But as a church and as Christians, we follow the direction of Pope Francis. Let us become the wounded healer, be an instrument of peace, and let us light the candle of hope amidst frustrating darkness.”
Since he was appointed archbishop of Yangon, the former capital city, in 2003, Bo has emerged as a leading advocate for democracy in the country.
Pope Francis made Bo the first cardinal in the history of Myanmar in 2015.
In the past year since the coup, the 73-year-old cardinal has repeatedly urged soldiers to stop attacking the country’s citizens and appealed for peace and dialogue.
Bo said that he fears that “Myanmar seems to have disappeared from the radar of the world.”
“Our agony continues,” the cardinal said.
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“Remember Myanmar and help in the struggle for peacemaking. Avoid providing more weapons. Advocate for greater humanitarian access. Peace is possible. Peace is the only way.”
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.