Pope in Myanmar on justice, peace and environmental
protection
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| Pope Francis and Bhaddanta Kumarabhivasma (L), shake hands at an interfaith meeting in Yangon.- ANSA |
(Vatican
Radio) Pope Francis had an action-packed afternoon in Myanmar on Wednesday,
meeting with the nation’s Buddhist leaders at a peace Pagoda and with the
country’s Catholic bishops at the Archbishop’s residence where
he’s staying. He also managed to squeeze in an unscheduled encounter with
the local Jesuit community there, as he likes to do on every
foreign journey.
Philippa Hitchen is in Yangon and reports that the focus of
the day’s events was on the role of all religions in shaping society through
the shared values of justice, dignity and peace.
The meeting
with Buddhist leaders was a very formal affair, with a row of barefoot
monks, wrapped in their maroon or rust coloured robes, seated in stiff backed
chairs opposite the pope and the rest of the Vatican delegation. An occasion
for official speeches rather than animated interfaith discussions.
Nevertheless, the pope spoke emphatically about the need to
strengthen friendships between believers of different faiths, promoting that
culture of encounter that can “surmount all forms of misunderstanding,
intolerance, prejudice and hatred”. He quoted from a famous collection of
Buddha’s verses and encouraged recent efforts by religious leaders to meet
together and discuss increased cooperation.
Weaving peaceful interfaith relations
In a similar way, with Catholic
bishops later in the day, the pope returned to the theme of both
interfaith and ecumenical relations, a pivotal part of the Church’s life here,
where Catholics are a small minority within both the Christian and the wider
Buddhist community.
He talked about weaving peaceful relations among people of
different faiths, reminding me of the delicate designs I’ve seen woven into the
brightly coloured clothes of the many different ethnic groups here.
Bishops must be prophetic voice
He told the bishops they must be healers, helping to
overcome the scars of conflicts that continue to impede peace and development.
He urged them to accompany their people, like shepherds who “bear the smell of
the sheep”, going out into the fields and villages, rather than staying inside
the sacristies of their churches.
Finally, he urged the bishops to be a prophetic voice within
their rapidly changing society, asking them to focus especially on the
environment, taking care of this nation’s “rich natural resources for the
benefit of future generations”.
Priority of environmental protection
I only wish he had time, as I did last week, to visit the
new Holy Cross church, built at the foot of a mountain in the spectacular
Kachin National Park. Located at the source of the Irrawaddy river which runs
the length of the country, the church is managed by La Salette Father Jerome
Eiphan, whose dream is to develop a centre for environmental protection.
Funding is scarce and the challenges are many, yet it’s a good example of how
the Church here is quietly promoting those values of justice and peace that the
pope was talking about today.
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