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Bishop from Myanmar: “The Church assists in the development of the country”

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Bishop Alexander Pyone Cho, Diocese of Pyay, Myanmar. @ACN

“The people trust the Church because it contributes to the country’s development.” With these words, the Bishop of Pyay, Alexander Pyone Cho, drew attention to the growing responsibilities of the Catholic Church in Myanmar’s westernmost diocese. The bishopric is the second-poorest in the country and mainly includes the coastal strip along the Gulf of Bengal. The number of Catholics is currently just under 25,000, about three percent of the population. “The faithful expect a great deal from their priests. For them, as well as for non-Christians, they are leaders of the community,” said Bishop Pyone during a visit to the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

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• 20/12/2011: Bishop from Myanmar: “The Church assists in the development of the country”

The work of the Church is mostly regarded positively by the country’s predominantly Buddhist population. “Our aid activities after the catastrophic cyclone were welcomed. All those who were in need received something. Since then, the villages have been open to us,” explained Pater Nereus Tun Min, Caritas director of the Diocese of Pyay. In October 2010, Cyclone Giri devastated large parts of the western coastal region. Caritas assisted in providing the population with emergency food supplies, and it also distributed seeds. The relief supplies were distributed to those affected without regard to their religion.

According to Bishop Pyone, who originates from the region and took up office in February 2011, the most important pastoral concern is the education of all the faithful as well as the training of priests. Evangelisation presupposes that all are strengthened in their faith. “We are a Church that is developing,” said Bishop Pyone. The numbers of faithful are increasing; in the coming year, five candidates will be consecrated as priests. Catholics occasionally encounter rejection, the Bishop said, because some fear western influence or see Christianity as a foreign religion. But these are exceptions. Although in a minority, the Catholic Church has for a long time been a part of Myanmar. Thus, for example, all of the 34 priests currently working in the Diocese of Pyay are natives.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is funded entirely by the donations of private individuals. It supports the Church and those working for the Church in the service of others, and it funds at least 5,000 projects each year, in particular those providing pastoral care. Another indispensable aspect of ACN's work is its commitment to religious freedom. Since it was first founded in 1947, the charity has been the voice of oppressed and persecuted Christians throughout the world. Every two years ACN publishes a report on Religious Freedom Worldwide, and also a shorter report, entitled Persecuted and Forgotten? which focuses on the persecution of Christians around the world.