After years of military occupation, the Christ the King Cathedral in Loikaw, Myanmar, has been returned to the faithful and priests, who can now celebrate the Easter Vigil together—a symbol of hope in a country plagued by a protracted conflict.
By Paolo Affatato The Easter Vigil is being celebrated for the first time in three years in the cathedral of Loikaw, in eastern Myanmar. For the local Catholic community, this is a profound source of consolation and a sign of light and hope for the local Catholic community—set against the backdrop of the civil conflict that is tearing the nation apart. In November 2023, the Christ the King Cathedral complex in the capital of Kayah State was occupied by the army, which used it as a base to fight the resistance forces. The pastoral center was bombed, forcing Bishop Celso Ba Shwe, along with priests, religious, and 80 faithful who had taken refuge in the church, to flee and begin a life in exile, far from the episcopal see. Since then, the local Church has endured great suffering, and the community has been at risk of dispersing as many churches and parishes in the Diocese of Loikaw were closed due to the absence of the faithful—all of whom had fled into the forests to escape the fighting. Staying with the people “Today, the situation remains extremely critical, characterized by ongoing armed conflict and a severe humanitarian emergency,” said Fr. Paul Tinreh, one of Loikaw’s Catholic priests, speaking to Vatican News. However, the Catholic community has welcomed the release of the Catholic complex after the military abandoned it. Two priests have taken possession of the church and the pastoral center, and so, for the first time in three years, priests, religious, and faithful have gathered with joy and emotion for the Easter celebrations. The priest highlighted how the “people of God can invoke peace, salvation, and liberation, just like the people of Israel. Our hope for Easter”, he continued, “is victory over death, darkness, and despair, for all our people, in communion with the risen Christ.” Bishop Celso Ba Shwe, meanwhile, is celebrating Easter with the people who have been displaced. Still residing in the village of Soudu, the bishop remains close to the many Catholic families living in dire conditions, bearing witness to a profound faith. “I stand by their side and, with other priests and religious, we make our solidarity known to these faithful. We support the faith of the people and, together with them, we live Easter, the passage from darkness to light. We ask God for a time of peace and reconciliation,” he recounted. Nearly four million displaced Kayah State is one of the areas where the civil conflict has inflamed the territories, in the states of Kachin, Shan, Chin, and Rakhine, as well as the Sagaing region. The total number of displaced people in Myanmar has now surpassed 3.6 million, and according to observers, it is soon expected to exceed four million. Faith and resilience of the people In this period of political transition, in Myanmar’s cities—both those under government control and those in conflict zones—“people are filling the churches; the faithful are not afraid to attend church for Easter celebrations,” explained Joseph Kung, a Catholic layman and educator in Yangon. “It is a sign of great faith and resilience, a sign of hope for all of us. We strengthen each other, we go to pray and receive the sacraments because we know that evil does not have the last word, and Christ has won over death,” he said. Peace cannot be built alone During the Holy Thursday Mass at the cathedral in Yangon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, made an appeal for “an Easter of peace and reconciliation.” He stressed that “if we walk alone, if we think selfishly about only ourselves, we do not build peace.” The cardinal reminded the congregation that “peace is born from meeting and accepting the other as a brother and a gift from God.” “If we aspire to peace,” he continued, “we must connect with each other, come toward one another, shake hands, and involve ourselves with those in need and distress.” Allowing ourselves to be touched and transformed by the grace of the risen Lord, he added, sending a message to the nation, “Easter is an opportunity to make peace.”