Destruction in Banmaw: Cathedral burns, believers fight for hope!

Destruction in Banmaw: Cathedral burns, believers fight for hope!

Banmaw, Myanmar - In Myanmar, a devastating fire completely destroyed the cathedral in the city of Banmaw in the state of Kachin. According to reports from the Roman news agency Fides, the fire, which began on Sunday afternoon, broke out during an assignment of the Burmese army. The cathedral, which was worshiped by Saint Patrick and was built by missionaries in the 1950s, was an important symbol of the city. This tragedy happened just a day before the church commemoration of St. Patrick and reinforces the already tense conditions in the region, where attacks were repeatedly committed to church institutions. On February 26, a priestly house and a three -story building that housed the diocesan office and a high school were set on fire, as Kathpress reported .

In addition, on March 3, a Catholic pastoral center of the Diocese of Banmaw was bombed and destroyed by the Burmese armed forces. According to the Jesuit priest Wilbert Mireh, who works in the community, five grenades and two air bombs were fired in the attack, which caused massive damage to the church complex, but remained without a death. The ongoing conflict between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), who is fighting for the self -determination of the ethnic group, has heavily burdened the local Catholic community. Many residents have fled due to the fights, so that only about 20,000 of the once over 407,000 inhabitants remain in the city. The majority now live in forests and surrounding villages, where the resources to secure existence are extremely limited. This information comes from a report by Herald Malaysia .

Despite the adverse circumstances, people's belief remains strong in Kachin. Père Mireh announced that the believers continue to pray and call St. Michael for protection, even if they have to live under dramatic conditions in the past few months. "We often celebrate the fair under the trees because it is too dangerous to stay in the church," he said. This determination of the believers to maintain their faith and their community spirit is a ray of hope in the middle of the chaos.