The Archbishop of Yangon in Myanmar, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, has asked for prayer and solidarity. The army’s violence against peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar had caused horror around the world.
The Archbishopric of Cologne, New York, Tokyo and the Diocese of Regensburg pray for Myanmar on Maundy Thursday. “Like all other religions, the Christians there are affected by the military junta’s putsch,” said the Archdiocese of Cologne on Monday. The Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki replied in a letter: “I would like to assure you of my solidarity with all my heart and promise that I will include the Church of Myanmar and the people of this country in my prayer.”
Prayer as a source of hope
The diocese of Regensburg has been financing a scholarship program for young women and men from the Southeast Asian country since 2001. “So many people in Myanmar are losing everything that belongs to their lives: freedom, the protection of the law and their livelihood”, declared Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer. “Our prayer and our sympathy are like a source of hope and courage for them in a desert of violence, injustice and the fear of surviving the next day.”
The Archbishopric of Tokyo and New York also want to pray for Myanmar on April 1st. Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi assured this in a letter to the bishops of Myanmar. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said he would pray for a peaceful end to the current crisis.
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