Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon called for prayers,”imploring the Almighty to dispel the darkness of conflict and usher in a new dawn of hope and harmony,” in an Easter message to the people of Myanmar.
The cardinal went on to pray for “the anguished cries of the innocent, the tears of the oppressed, and the shattered dreams of those caught in the crossfire of strife especially our young people.”
An estimated 2.6 million people have fled their homes to escape the fighting that has swept Myanmar since the military coup of 2021. Another 18.6 million—roughly one-third of the country’s total population—now live in poverty, as conditions decline, prices rise, and the health-care system nears total collapse.