ASIA/MYANMAR - Displaced people in Loikaw affected by floods: “Only the power that comes from above keeps us going”

Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - In ten refugee camps hosting displaced Catholics in Loikaw, "the sudden floods have shaken the lives of families and older children. At least 18 victims are confirmed, others are missing. It is a new blow for the poor population, already suffering from the civil war for two years", says Celso Ba Shwe, Bishop of Loikaw, a city in eastern Myanmar, in the Burmese state of Kayah, in an interview with Fides about the effects of the tropical storm "Yagi", which has also hit Myanmar. These 10 camps are only a small part of the about 200 refugee camps that host a total of about 150,000 refugees in the territory of the diocese. The faithful of Loikaw live there after the civilian population had to flee the city to seek protection from the clashes between the regular army and the militias fighting against the military junta, which has been in power since February 2021 through a coup.

The community of the diocese is fragmented because "everyone has fled the parishes and the crowd of believers has dispersed." "Some have found shelter in the area of the neighboring diocese of Pekhon, the majority of Catholics have remained in the approximately 200 displaced persons settlements in the region," says the bishop who describes the situation on the territory. Priests, religious and catechists have also left the city, which is being bombed by the regular army because it is considered one of the strongholds of the People's Defense Forces, which are allied with the armies of ethnic minorities.

A symbol of the suffering of the local Church was the occupation of the cathedral and the adjacent Pastoral Center in Loikaw, which was converted into a logistical base by the Burmese military in November 2023, expelling the bishop, who thus became a "refugee among refugees". "The military is still there, for almost a year," confirmed Bishop Ba Shwe to Fides. "We have tried to speak to the civil and military authorities," he reports, "but so far there are no concrete signs of the evacuation of our facility. We have been able to save the registers of baptisms and sacraments, nothing else. We feel almost like we are in exile, far from Jerusalem. Only faith and the strength that comes from above allow us to continue," he says. Bishop Celso has temporarily moved to a church in a remote area, in the parish of Soudu in the west of the diocese. From there he regularly visits the refugee camps to visit and console the displaced.

The Catholic community is doing its best to maintain the material and spiritual sustenance of the faithful in a difficult situation. "There is an urgent need for daily food. With Caritas Loikaw, we are working tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid. We keep a low profile; thanks to God's providence, we try every day to provide for and support everyone," he reports. In addition, "in each of the 200 camps there is a chapel, often made of bamboo, built by the faithful themselves. Our priests have not been discouraged and have gone out to look for the faithful in their parishes to find the lost sheep. This closeness is a great comfort for the people."

The Church, the bishop notes, "is trying to better organize the service of material and spiritual sustenance." "We know very well that this ensures that the faithful do not despair. We celebrate the Eucharist, baptisms, first communions and confirmations in the refugee camps. Often, simple people live there who know that they can trust in God, that God will not abandon them. They know that we are going through a Calvary together, that we are on a long journey through the desert, waiting for the Promised Land, which for us means peace, that we can return to our homes and churches," he stresses.

Another issue that is dear to the bishop's heart is education: "We care about the education of children and young people. We do what we can and have to build small makeshift schools, where religious and catechists often volunteer to teach. There is a lack of books and school materials for the students. It is a generation that will suffer from this interruption in education," he notes. The situation is also precarious with regard to the Seminaries: the Loikaw interdiocesan Seminary moved to Taunggyy two years ago, where the 13 seminarians from Loikaw are housed.

Regarding the general situation of the ongoing civil war, the Bishop of Loikaw states that “we are in a stalemate situation where the resistance forces control some areas, but the regular army is still very strong and has a large and powerful weapon. The outcome of the conflict remains uncertain, the situation is blocked and a victory for the resistance fighters does not seem within reach. "We continue to speak of peace and promote reconciliation, because this is the horizon to which the Gospel leads us," he says. "But unfortunately the word 'reconciliation' is not accepted today by any of the warring parties," he stresses. "The military junta is fighting and calling the young people of the popular forces 'terrorists'. The young people, for their part, report the violence emanating from the army and do not want to give in. And the conflict continues. This is the situation on the ground. We are in the middle of a tunnel and only the Lord can make us see the light again". (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 17/9/2024)

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