ASIA/MYANMAR - Humanitarian aid to the homeless becomes an opportunity for dialogue and prayer

Mandalay (Agenzia Fides) - The homeless in Mandalay and Sagaing are exposed to heavy rain and strong winds. These weather events are making life difficult for the thousands of people camping on the streets. According to rescue teams such as the Mandalay Catholic Emergency Rescue Team of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, the rain and wind are putting additional strain on those living in makeshift tents on the streets. Meanwhile, the electricity grid has also been affected by the heavy rains in the country, resulting in numerous outages. Archbishop Marco Tin Win, the priests of the archdiocese, and the religious in Mandalay are sharing the daily lives of the refugees, sleeping outdoors in makeshift tents. Catholic Joseph Kung tells Fides: "The urgent work now is to care for and assist those who have found themselves on the streets. The death toll seems to be almost complete. Among the homeless, who need drinking water and food, there is now a risk of diarrhea, respiratory, and skin diseases due to poor hygienic conditions."

The team of Catholic volunteers is collecting donations and distributing relief items such as food, water, medicine, emergency shelter, and hygiene items to the homeless. "The grounds of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Mandalay, which was damaged by the earthquake, have become a refuge for the earthquake victims, regardless of ethnicity or religion: they are Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus, and the parishioners have worked hard to alleviate the suffering of the victims," Father Peter Kyi Maung, Vicar General of the Archdiocese, tells Fides.
Volunteers went to bring humanitarian aid to Sagaing, along with Archbishop Tin Win, who is constantly travelling, offering comfort and speaking and praying with the displaced and sick. "This suffering has also become an opportunity for profound interreligious dialogue, as the majority of the affected population is Buddhist," reports Father Peter.

In the future, it is said, specific aid for the reconstruction of churches and pastoral buildings will be essential. The archdiocese is in the process of completing its damage assessment. The damage affects the rectory in Mandalay, the archbishop's residence, the St. John Paul Educational Institute, the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Mandalay (whose the bell tower is severely damaged), and the churches of St. Francis Xavier, St. John, and St. Michael in Mandalay. St. Michael's Church (in Thanwin Township), St. Joseph's Church (in Lafon), Our Lady of Loudes Church (in Yamethin), St. Vincent de Paul Church (in Zawgyi), as well as the Mother Teresa Home for the Sick, the intermediate Seminary in Mandalay, and the minor Seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin. Given the situation on the ground, the episcopal ordination ceremony of Bishop Augustine Thang Zawm Hung, who is to be consecrated as bishop of the Diocese of Mindat in neighboring Chin State, cannot take place in Mandalay as planned and will take place on April 27 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Yangon.

Given this dramatic situation, "a ceasefire is all the more necessary," says Fr. John Aung Htoi. "We respect the young generation who have lost their lives fighting against the military junta over the past four years and understand their reluctance. But in the current situation, I believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is essential for the good of the country." "As a Catholic community in Myanmar," the priest continued, "we urgently call for a ceasefire after such a natural disaster. I believe that the dignity of any organization will not be damaged by efforts to stop the war and care for so many people in need. It is necessary to begin with a ceasefire that paves the way for peace and allows everyone to participate in the reconstruction of the country." (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 7/4/2025)

Share:

earthquake

---

---

humanitarian aid

---

---

prayer

---

---

dialogue

---

---