“We must live in a spirit of vigilance and prayer,” Auxiliary Bishop John Saw Yaw Han of Yangon told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

Concerned that the situation could become critical, Bishop Saw Yaw Han also called on the Church to “provide food reserves to avoid shortages” and “also take care of stocks of medicines to ensure the health of the people,” Fides reported on February 1.

The military in Myanmar staged a coup on February 1 and detained top political leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, according to the Associated Press.

The military declared a state of emergency, and said General Min Aung Hlaing would be in charge of the country for one year because the government had not acted on the military’s claims of fraud in November’s elections, and because it allowed for an election despite the Covid-19 pandemic, reported AP. Suu Kyi’s ruling party had won a majority of the available parliamentary seats in that election.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement, “All leaders must act in the greater interest of Myanmar’s democratic reform, engaging in meaningful dialogue, refraining from violence and fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon was visiting the northern state of Kachin for pastoral reasons during the coup and could not be reached by Fides.

Bishop Saw Yaw Han instead launched an appeal to all Catholics to pray for peace.

Priests should be particularly vigilant, he said, “and control the people who enter the church complex” for security reasons.

He asked that priests and religious not issue “individual statements” about the current situation, “in order to maintain the unity and coherence of communication” and avoid any “uncertainty and confusion”.

Priests were invited “to oversee liturgical services and encourage all believers to pray intensely for peace in Myanmar”.
Joseph Kung Za Hmung, director of the Gloria News Journal, based in Yangon, told Fides on February 1 that “there is no protest or gathering on the streets of Yangon. Telephone lines are isolated throughout the country, and they only work in Yangon and the capital, Naypyitaw”.

“We do however see a strong reaction from people on social media networks,” he added.

Starting at 4am on February 1, armoured vehicles began patrolling the centre of Yangon and Naypyitaw, where the inauguration of the new postelection parliament was to have taken place on February 2.

Hmung said, “For the time being, citizens are waiting, as it is feared that a mass protest could lead to a definitive coup that would see the generals in power for decades, ending the experience of democracy.”

Military rule in Myanmar lasted from 1962 to 2011, before resuming again with the latest coup.

Photo: A military checkpoint in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on February 1, 2021. (CNS photo/Reuters)

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The arrival ceremony at the Yangon airport was brief and led by an envoy of the president, because the formal welcome was scheduled for the next day in Naypyitaw, which has been the capital since 2005.

Pope Francis greets Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon as he arrives at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Nov. 27. The pope is making a six-day visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See POPE-MYANMAR-ARRIVE Nov. 27, 2017.

However, Pope Francis had a “courtesy visit” with the leaders of the nation’s powerful military. The pope and Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who was accompanied by three other generals and a lieutenant colonel, met that first evening in the Yangon archbishop’s residence, where the pope is staying.

Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters the meeting lasted 15 minutes. After discussions about “the great responsibility authorities in the country have at this moment of transition,” the two exchanged gifts.

The pope gave the general a medal commemorating his visit to Myanmar and the general gave the pope “a harp in the shape of a boat and an ornate rice bowl,” Burke said.

Pope Francis had been scheduled to meet the general Nov. 30, his last morning in Myanmar. Although the country is transitioning from military rule to democracy, the general has the power to name a portion of the legislators and to nominate some government ministers. Although described by Burke as a “courtesy visit” and not an official welcome, the visit seemed to go against the usual protocol, which would dictate that the pope’s first meetings with authorities would be with the head of state and head of government.

Burke did not say whether Pope Francis had mentioned in any way the plight of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, who are treated as foreigners in the country. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has been criticized by human rights groups for what has been described as disproportionately harsh measures against the entire Rohingya community following attacks on security posts by small groups of Rohingya militants.

The pope arrived in Myanmar after a more than 10-hour, overnight flight from Rome. The children in costumes, representing only a portion of Myanmar’s ethnic groups, were joined by another 100 schoolchildren wearing white slacks and white T-shirts with the logo of the papal visit.

Banners and billboards along the road from the airport into the city proclaimed: “A heartiest welcome to the Holy Father, Pope Francis.”

Because the flight took off late at night, Pope Francis spent less time with reporters than he usually does. He made no comment about his hopes for the trip, only mentioning that he was told it was very warm in Yangon and he hoped the reporters would not suffer too much.

As is customary, the pope sent telegrams to the heads of state of all 13 nations he flew over on the way, including Italy.

In his message to Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Pope Francis said he was making the trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh Nov. 27-Dec. 2 as a “pilgrim of peace, to encourage the small but fervent Catholic communities and to meet believers of different religions.”

The majority of people in Myanmar are Buddhist, while the majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim. Pope Francis had meetings with religious leaders scheduled in both countries.

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Van Thio, a Christian, is part of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy which recently won landmark elections in the country.

He is the first non-Buddhist to hold the office of vice president.

His faith has been the subject of controversy as after his appointment nationalist monks protested saying that only Buddhists should hold political positions.

The choice of having a minority ethnic person as a vice president is a symbolic gesture by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party to assist national reconciliation efforts, say observers.

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