ASIA/MYANMAR - Bishop Sumlut Gam: Cathedral in Banmaw "miraculously remains standing" after the fire

Banmaw (Agenzia Fides) - The majestic building of Banmaw Cathedral, in Kachin State, northern Burma, set on fire in recent days by the Burmese army (see Fides, 17/3/2025) “is still there, miraculously standing,” the Bishop of Banmaw, Raymond Sumlut Gam, told Fides, moved and surprised. "We will continue to investigate to better understand the situation there," he added, but it is currently impossible to visit the area for an inspection because it is a war zone, where fighting is raging between the Myanmar regular army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the army of the Kachin ethnic minority who, in the state where they are the majority, have been demanding autonomy and self-determination for 60 years.
The KIA, like other ethnic militias, has joined the resistance struggle of the People’s Defense Forces, born in the aftermath of the 2021 coup, which is fighting the ruling military junta. In the photo sent to Fides by the bishop (probably taken by a drone), we can see the cathedral. Although it bears clear signs of the fire that devastated its interior, it is still in place on its perimeter walls and covered by its roof, and is therefore not reduced to ruins, as feared.
In front of the cathedral, we can see the building of the former presbytery, burned and destroyed on February 26 (as reported by Fides on 17/3/2025). The bishop explains the context of these events: "Since the beginning of December last year, the area where our Catholic complex in Banmaw is located (the cathedral, two clergy houses, the pastoral center, the residential shelter) has been at the center of clashes between the army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). We, along with all the staff, religious, priests, and lay people, had to flee. At the end of February, the battle unfortunately took place within our very structures. The cathedral was set on fire on March 16, the eve of St. Patrick's Day," notes the bishop, perhaps because the military believed that Korean People's Army soldiers were hiding there. "While there is ash and rubble throughout the complex, and we are all truly in shock, we see the cathedral still there and it seems like a small miracle to us," he observes. All treaties and conventions affirm that, even in times of war, the protection of places of worship, religious structures, and areas that include historical and cultural heritage must be guaranteed. "But obviously, in our conflict, given the widespread destruction, rules are not being respected, acts of vandalism are being committed without hesitation," a Burmese priest tells Fides.
"Let us pray that our country may be freed as soon as possible from the evil desire for war," he notes.
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Banmaw was built by missionaries of the Society of St. Columban in 1958-1959 and consecrated in 1960. The missionaries of St. Columban arrived in Banmaw in the early 1930s, after the region had been evangelized a century earlier by priests of the Foreign Missions of paris (MEP), who remained there from 1856 to 1939.
Over the years, the priests and nuns of St. Columban preached the Gospel to the Kachin community, which was predominantly animist at the time, leading to thousands of baptisms and priestly and consecrated vocations. A baptized layman from the Diocese of Banmaw, currently in exile abroad, expresses his gratitude: “We thank God for these priests and religious, for their sacrifices and their apostolic mission. The cathedral building may be destroyed, but our faith and fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ will never be destroyed by fire or the fear instilled by violence.” The faithful recalls his faith journey with emotion: “I was baptized, received Communion, Confirmation… My faith has grown and matured in Banmaw. I have many fond memories of serving at the altar alongside missionaries such as the late Bishop Paul Grawng, Bishop Philip Ze Hawng, and Bishop Francis Daw Tang.” “Today we suffer to see our country torn apart by war, but we trust that one day we will be reunited with those who loved us and passed on the faith to us. We are eternally grateful to the priests and religious who have ‘finished their earthly mission’ and now rest in their heavenly home: the French priests like Bishop Ambrose Bigandet MEP, Father Charles Gilhodes MEP, and all the other Fathers of the Foreign Missions of Paris; the 38 Missionaries of St. Columban, like Bishop Patrick Usher, Bishop John Howe, Father Kellerher, Father Wade, Father James Cloonan, and so many other disciples of Christ. We would not be what we are today without the works of all these wonderful disciples of Christ. May their legacy of faith always flourish through us.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 26/3/2025)

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