Cardinal Bo: Myanmar in
desperate need of love, justice, mercy
 |
| Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar |
In a newly released pastoral letter, the Burmese Cardinal
Charles Bo reflects on “God’s love for the people and nations of Asia.”
By Vatican News
Cardinal Charles Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, has
written a pastoral letter “about the challenges facing the people of Myanmar
today, particularly as the country prepares for the next election in 2020.”
In Myanmar, the Cardinal says, there are still too many
people who are “hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in prison” – alluding to the
Gospel passage where Jesus says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Cardinal Bo calls on his
fellow citizens to “work together to end violence and terror in our country,
and to build a Myanmar where every man, woman, and child of every race and
religion born on Myanmar soil is recognized both as our fellow citizen and as
our brother and sister in humanity.”
A yearning for peace
In his letter, Cardinal Bo says it is important for people
to stand up for their rights, while noting that “with rights come duties. With
freedom comes responsibility.” All human beings are created in the image of
God, he says, but both in Myanmar and throughout the world “the Imago
Dei is trampled mercilessly on a daily basis.”
But although Myanmar “has not known real peace for many,
many decades… in the hearts and souls of every person in Myanmar, of every race
and religion, lies a real yearning for peace.” In order to achieve that peace,
he says, the people of Myanmar “must learn to love the diversity of our country
and seek unity within it.”
Cardinal Bo also speaks of the necessary role of the
military, especially in defending the innocent. In particular, civilians must
be protected, and people must have access to humanitarian aid, including food,
shelter, medicine and education.
Freedom of religion
The Cardinal also stresses the importance of all human
rights and freedoms, while pointing to the “foundational” right to “freedom of
religion or belief.” He points out growing threats to religious freedom, not
only in Myanmar but throughout Asia, where intolerance is on the rise.
Defenders of human dignity, human rights, and religious liberty, he says, must promote
those rights for all people.
Cardinal Bo also addresses other issues briefly, admitting
there are “too many to explore in detail” in a relatively short message. He
mentions specifically “the tyranny of drugs,” the exploitation of environment,
education, slavery and human trafficking.
Love, justice, mercy
“Above all,” Cardinal Bo says in conclusion, “this letter is
shaped by love, infused with a desire for justice and inspired by mercy.
Myanmar needs all three – love, justice, and mercy – desperately.”
The Church in Myanmar, he says, “stands ready to be a place
of mercy for all, to be a centre of reconciliation, to defend the rights of
everyone everywhere of every religion and ethnicity, no exceptions, and to tear
down barriers and move fences and counter hatred with love.”
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