ASIA/MYANMAR - Catholic Church in Chin State destroyed by airstrike

Hakha (Agenzia Fides) - Airstrikes by the Burmese army have destroyed the Catholic Church of Christ the King in the town of Falam, in the Diocese of Hakha, part of the Burmese state of Chin, in northwestern Myanmar. According to Fides sources in the Diocese of Hakha, in an area where electricity and telephone lines are down or interrupted, the roof of the church and its interior are devastated, while the walls of the building are still standing.
The church was a new structure, built with painstaking effort and sacrifice in recent years to meet the needs of the approximately 1,000 faithful Catholic community in the area. It was finally consecrated in November 2023 last year, replacing the small chapel that had existed for 75 years. The community rejoiced to have found a place to pray and celebrate the sacraments in the midst of the civil war, an oasis of spirituality amidst the violence. "There is now great sadness in the community, but also a desire and determination to rebuild," the source said.
The April 8 bombing of the church was part of the clashes over the town of Falan, which has been the subject of nine months of fighting between the army, which controls the town, and the Chinland Defense Force (CDF), a local militia that emerged in Chin State in opposition to the military junta. CDF fighters surrounded the town, forced the army to flee after fierce fighting, and took control of Falan. At this point, as in so many other conflict scenarios in other Burmese regions, the army began bombing the town from the air or with artillery, and these bombings indiscriminately hit homes, public buildings, and places of worship, including the Church of Christ the King.
In the same context, a 36-year-old Protestant Christian pastor and two children (8 months and 7 years old) were killed by shelling in Pwi, in the municipality of Mindat. Another man and a woman were among the victims. Nine other people were injured in the attack, and 10 buildings, including the village's Christian church, were destroyed.
Last February, the Burmese army carried out an aerial attack and damaged the Catholic Sacred Heart Church in Mindat, also in Chin State (see Fides 10/2/2025). The church was to become the cathedral of the newly founded Diocese of Mindat, established by Pope Francis on January 25 of this year.
According to the Human Rights Organization of Chin State, at least 107 religious buildings, including 67 churches, were destroyed in Chin State in 2021 by army bombing during the civil war. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 11/4/2025)

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