Archbishop encourages hope as death toll in Myanmar surpasses 3,000

Burmese Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Mandalay said that despite the suffering caused by the deadly earthquake, the people of Myanmar are clinging to hope in God’s mercy.

In an interview published April 3 with Fides, the news agency of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Archbishop Win said that the suffering of his people has brought them closer to God and that “today, our people have hope in God’s mercy, in the certainty of his love.”

“There is a divine message that transcends our human intelligence and understanding,” he said. “Our only way is to entrust ourselves to his merciful love and reaffirm our hope in God’s plan of salvation,” he said.

The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, March 28, destroying roads, buildings and religious sites. According to the governing military junta, as of April 3, the death toll stood at 3,145, with 4,589 others wounded and 221 still missing.

The earthquake struck at a time of uncertainty due to the ongoing civil war between resistance groups and Myanmar’s governing military junta, which overthrew the previous democratically elected government in 2021.

Resistance groups, according to several reports, have accused the military-led government of continuing its bombing of rebel-controlled areas and not prioritizing relief efforts. While it had rejected initial calls for a pause in military operations from resistance groups, the government declared a ceasefire from April 3-22, The Associated Press reported.

However, according to AP, the military government warned it would take “necessary” action if resistance groups trained new recruits or launched an attack.

Archbishop Win told Fides that as soon as the earthquake began, the city’s priests and religious “raised the alarm and brought people to safety” in churches, monasteries and the local seminary.

“We made sure no one was injured. We encouraged and comforted frightened children and people on the streets. Many sought refuge in the church complexes that are still accessible. With our modest means, we share water, food and shelter with them while we await further external assistance,” he said.

The archbishop also said three of the 40 churches in the Archdiocese of Mandalay collapsed, while others “all have minor or major cracks.”

“About 25 churches are no longer suitable for the safe celebration of services. The intermediate seminary in the city of Mandalay is also severely damaged, and the minor seminary in Pyin Oo Lwin has cracks in its building structure,” the Burmese archbishop said.

According to Mission Newswire, the news service of the Salesian Missions, the St. John Paul II Chapel belonging to the Salesian community in Mandalay “suffered extensive damage, with its facade and parts of the walls collapsing.”

Two parishioners praying at the chapel, as well as a young boy, were injured, while the Salesian-run building housing street children “sustained significant damage.”

As the community continues to assess the damage, the Salesian Missions launched an emergency appeal for donations to provide emergency assistance to those in need.

Archbishop Win told Fides he saw how the tragic earthquake in Myanmar has united people “regardless of ethnicity, faith, or social class” and that witnessing the solidarity and charity toward one another was “a beautiful sign.”

“It consoles us to see that the entire church does not abandon us, neither nationally nor universally,” he said. “Even the pope prays for us and gives us comfort and hope. Easter is just around the corner: we are in God’s hands and will rise with Christ. In the year of the Jubilee, we renew our hope in Christ.”

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