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The pastoral center of a Catholic church in rural Myanmar was hit in a bombing raid by the Burmese army on Monday, March 3. The bombing is the latest attack that has affected a Catholic site in the majority-Buddhist country in less than a month.
The center was on the grounds of the Catholic Church of St. Michael, located in the Diocese of Banmaw. The Diocese of Banmaw consists of the northern part of the country. Myanmar is also sometimes referred to as Burma.
“Five bullets and two aerial bombs [were] fired at our church grounds, hit the building, but did not injure anyone,” Jesuit Fr. Wilbert Mireh, a parish priest at the church, told Fides, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
Myanmar has been in a state of civil war since 2021, when a military coup ousted the elected government. About 1.3% of the country is Catholic, and nearly 88% are Buddhist.
Country of particular concern
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom lists Myanmar as a “country of particular concern” when it comes to religious freedom.
Since the start of the civil war, hundreds of religious buildings, including churches, mosques, and Buddhist monasteries, have been destroyed in airstrikes conducted by the military junta.
Mireh told Fides that he had to travel to the border with China, as "electricity, telephone and other services have been absent in our area since July 2024.”
These other services include schools, clinics, and shops, he said.
"Defend us in battle"
“After this new attack, the faithful trust in the Archangel Michael and pray to him to protect us. Even the boys and children sing and invoke Saint Michael," he told Fides.
"We usually celebrate Mass under the trees because it is too dangerous to be in the church and the building has already been hit and damaged. But I must say that despite the suffering and the precarious conditions, the faith and spirit are strong,” said Father Mireh.
“The faithful pray every day that the Lord, through the Archangel Michael, continues to grant his protection and watch over us,” he said.
The bombing of the pastoral center is part of a continuation of attacks on Catholic locations in Myanmar. On February 6, the country’s military junta bombed and destroyed the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Mindat.
The attack occurred just days after Pope Francis created the Diocese of Mindat on January 25. Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church had been chosen to be the cathedral of the newly established diocese.
The news of the bombing did not come to light until almost a week later, Fides reported at the time.
About a week later, on Feb. 14, a priest was murdered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Archdiocese of Mandalay.
