Myanmar’s prominent Buddhist monk
contributes to Pope’s coronavirus fund
 |
| Myanmar Buddist monk, Sitagu Sayadaw, with Archbishop Marco Tim Win of Mandalay on April 16, 2020 |
Sitagu Sayadaw made a contribution to the coronavirus
emergency fund of Pope Francis and also donated essential food items for the
needy of the Archdiocese of Mandalay
By Robin Gomes
Myanmar’s prominent Buddhist monk, Ashin Nyanissara known as
Sitagu Sayadaw, has made a contribution of $10,000 to the emergency fund that
Pope Francis created recently for people and communities hit by the Covid-19
pandemic.
During a ceremony held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral of
Mandalay Archdiocese, Archbishop Marco Tin Win received the amount from Sitagu
Sayadaw on April 16.
The monk also provided bags of rice, cooking oil, beans,
onions and salt for orphanages and others in need in Mandalay Archdiocese.
He said he was contributing as a sign of compassion which is
common to all religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
“All we need to do is work hand in hand based on a common
platform to tackle Covid-19 and carry out charitable work through solidarity,”
Sitagu Sayadaw said.
Archbishop Tin Win said: “As a real friend, I am impressed
with his contributions and it shows goodwill and solidarity with people who are
most in need in times of crisis. His contributions send a message of interfaith
harmony to people across the country.”
The monk also donated rice and other food items to homes for
the aged, a deaf and dumb school, a cancer foundation, orphanages and
internally displaced persons across the country.
The Buddhist cleric had a private meeting with Pope Francis
during his visit to Myanmar in November 2017. He also met Pope Benedict XVI, in
Rome in 2011.
Pope’s Coronavirus Fund
The Vatican announced on April 6 that Pope Francis has
established an emergency fund at the Vatican’s Pontifical Mission Societies for
people and communities who have been tragically hit by the spread of COVID-19
pandemic.
While making an initial contribution of $750,000 to
the Coronavirus
Fund, the Holy Father also asked Church organizations to contribute to it.
The PMS said that the fund will be used by Church structures
and institutions to help communities hit by the virus in mission territories.
The PMS are the Pope’s official channel of support to the
Church’s missions across the globe.
Fight against Covid-19
Myanmar reported its first death from Covid-19 on March
31. On Thursday, the government banned gatherings of five and above
following a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
As of April 18, the country’s coronavirus death toll stood
at five while the number of infected people rose to 94.
Over 2.2 million cases and more than 154,000 deaths have
been reported across the globe, with the United States and Europe the hardest
hit.
Inter-faith harmony
Sitagu Sayadaw has close ties with Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon
and Archbishop Tin Win, who have worked together to promote interfaith dialogue
in the Buddhist-majority country.
Sitagu Sayadaw sits on interfaith councils and travels the
world to promote his humanitarian efforts and interfaith dialogue.
He is founder and head of the Sitagu Buddhist Academies that
have funded many social projects in Myanmar including water pumps and hospitals
in various regions.
He has been lauded for his charity work, especially in the
aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 which killed more than 100,000 in the
country’s delta region. (Source: UCANEWS)
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