Myanmar junta allegedly torches Catholic cathedral in Kachin

(OSV News) -- The military junta in Myanmar's strife-torn Kachin state allegedly burned down a Catholic cathedral dedicated to St. Patrick on the eve of the revered saint's feast.

Soldiers from the junta's State Administration Council allegedly torched the cathedral of the Diocese of Banmaw March 16, Radio Free Asia reported on March 17, citing local sources.

The latest incident is part of a string of attacks launched against the church and its associated buildings, the source, who refused to be named, fearing government retaliation, told RFA.

"The only thing left (was) the church, which they returned (to) yesterday and burned down," the unnamed source told RFA March 17, adding that some of the other buildings had been burned down earlier.

"There is crying and despair" in the diocese following the destruction of St. Patrick's Cathedral, a local priest in the Catholic community told Fides, the news agency of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

"I have seen many faithful cry and suffer. We can only take refuge in the Lord. In this time of Lent, people gather in prayer in the forest, the faithful celebrate the Stations of the Cross and hold processions in the mountains, and thus, with faith, they join in the suffering of Christ," he said.

The priest's house, the three-story building that houses the diocesan offices and the high school had been set on fire Feb. 26, Fides reported.

"Sometimes the pretext is that (places of worship) are hiding places for the resistance forces. Other times, buildings are occupied by soldiers and then, once abandoned, they are destroyed out of pure contempt, leaving scorched earth behind," the priest cited by Fides explained.

"Tatmadaw soldiers are often young people without education or culture, recruited and manipulated by their commanders. They commit cruel acts and do not understand the gravity of their actions," he added.

The military junta was responsible for carrying out airstrikes that destroyed Sacred Heart Church, located in Chin state in western Myanmar Feb. 6. The church was supposed to serve as the cathedral of the new Diocese of Mindat, which was erected by Pope Francis at the end of January.

In mid-February, Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a parish priest, was stabbed to death and mutilated in a targeted attack on the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Kan Gyi Taw, a small village in central Myanmar's Shwe Bo district.

Bishop Raymond Sumlut Gam leads the diocese, established in 2006. The diocese borders China to the east and covers a mountainous terrain.

The civilian population in the region was estimated to be 407,000 before the conflict began, which included more than 27,000 baptized Catholics who belong to different ethnic groups, according to Fides.

RFA reported that the extent of damage inflicted by airstrikes, artillery, and drones on the houses, churches, and schools in Banmaw is unknown.

The military council's Kachin State spokesperson and State Social Affairs Minister U Moe Min Thein has yet to respond to RFA's questions via phone regarding the region's latest military action.

On March 16, the military council forces launched airstrikes on Talangzar village in Falam Township, Chin State, damaging several homes, including a Christian church, according to residents, RFA reported.

Myanmar's military, which toppled the civilian government in February 2021, is fighting armed groups and newly emerged People Defense Forces on multiple fronts in Kachin, western Rakhine, and eastern Karenni and Karen states.

The military has not published details of the fighting in Kachin, which has a population of 1.7 million, including 116,000 Catholics.

As of March 4, more than 124,500 people, including over 38,200 people displaced by the military coup, have been staying in camps in Kachin state after fleeing their homes in 2011.

There are 2.7 million people who are displaced nationwide in the Buddhist-majority nation. Nearly 2.4 million of them are displaced following the 2021 coup, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.