Pope reiterates appeal to end war in Myanmar

Pope reiterates appeal to end war in Myanmar

What does war do? It destroys, it destroys humanity, destroys everything, Pope Francis said as he once again called for dialogue to end conflict and loss of lives in Myanmar, ahead of the ASEAN leaders’ summit in Cambodia.

Pope Francis has once again appealed for dialogue to end the conflict in Myanmar where the military continues to attack civilians.

During his general audience with catechists on Wednesday, the pope called on world leaders to think about wars in Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar and reminded them that war destroys everything including humanity. While the world has paid much attention to the war in Ukraine, the pope has spoken several times about the war in Myanmar and prayed for peace and reconciliation.

His latest appeal came as the military junta continued its deadly attacks across Myanmar including Christian-majority areas of Kachin, Kayah, Karen, and Chin states. The deadliest attack on Oct. 23 left 80 people dead in an aerial bombing of a music concert in Kachin state.

Myanmar’s crisis is a top agenda at the ASEAN summit that began on Thursday. Since the military coup last year, more than 2,400 people have been killed and over 16,000 detained in Myanmar.

Ahead of the ASEAN leaders’ summit, prominent Christian activist Theary Seng has gone on a hunger strike in a prison in Cambodia’s remote northern region to protest her jailing and highlight the country’s dismal human rights record.

Seng, an American-Khmer lawyer and an editor of the Khmer Bible, was jailed for six years in June for plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government. She began her strike on Monday with the backing of the Khmer Thavrak youth group.

A family member said Seng is taking only water and her protest denounces Hun Sen’s politically motivated violence, control of security forces, manipulated elections, massive corruption, and the tacit support of foreign powers.

President Joe Biden is attending the mid-November ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh when about 12,000 security personnel will be deployed. Supporters of Seng have campaigned for her release since she was jailed along with 139 people. Seng was a prominent supporter of the outlawed Cambodian National Rescue Party and its leader in exile Sam Rainsy.

Goa archdiocese in western India has announced that the next exposition of the sacred relics of St. Francis Xavier will commence on Nov. 21, 2024. The once-in-ten-year event draws millions of people of all faiths from across the world.

Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao, archbishop of Goa and Daman, issued a special decree last Saturday, announcing the seven-week-long exposition of the sacred relics of the 16th-century Spanish Jesuit saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus, popularly known as the Jesuits.

The body of Saint Francis Xavier, which was considered incorrupt until three decades ago, is placed in a silver casket in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, the capital of then-Portuguese-ruled India.

During the exposition, the body — now seen only as relics — will be lowered and placed on a podium to allow pilgrims to come near and seek the saint’s intercession. Close to 4 million people visited the relics during the last exposition, which concluded in January 2015.

In the Catholic-majority Philippines, about 150 members of a Muslim extremist group surrendered to the military in the insurgency-plagued Mindanao region.

The members of the Abu Sayyaf group laid down their firearms and ammunition at a military camp in Jolo of Sulu province on Tuesday. This was the largest surrender of Abu Sayyaf members this year. Since January more than 176 have surrendered. Military officials said the surrender was the outcome of their repeated and uninterrupted offense against the rebels.

Meanwhile, the rebels had cited “fatigue” as the reason and admitted that they had been fighting government forces without food and water amid a lack of ammunition. The Department of Social Welfare and Development said the rebels would undergo a rehabilitation program while serving time in prison.

Muslim scholar Gandula Maitem noted that as long as poverty and lack of education continue in Mindanao the conflict will not be over. Abu Sayyaf group has carried out numerous bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, and extortion activities in the past decades.

Church groups in Indonesia’s Christian-majority East Nusa Tenggara province have slammed a government undertaking for using their names to move ahead with a controversial geothermal project.

The state-run electricity company PT PLN has made claims in a booklet that it has approached and consulted the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Franciscan order, the Divine Word, and Ruteng diocese regarding geothermal projects in Manggarai district.

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