Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - "To the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a visit to Myanmar, we ask to invite the government to immediately order a ceasefire in the conflict with the Kachin Independent Army; then to release over 1,600 political prisoners unconditionally": This is what His Exc. Mgr. Charles Maung Bo, SDB, Archbishop of Yangon and the Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Myanmar says to Fides, expressing the hopes of the Church in Burma for the future of the country. The Archbishop echoes the words of Pope Pius XII and says: "All is lost with war, but with peace there is everything to gain".
The Burmese Church recalls the plight of the war with ethnic minorities across the nation: Mgr. Bo said that the government "is trying to establish contacts with all political groups, but they are currently fighting in the Kachin area". The fear is that "the various conflicts can awaken", therefore "it is time that the government promptly promotes dialogue and serious negotiations," recognizing the rights and needs of different ethnic communities and relaunch with force, "a global plan of national reconciliation" .
A dialogue that, notes Mons Bo, "is necessary also to reconnect with the European Union, Asian countries, the community and international institutions. It is necessary, above all, to maintain friendly relations with neighboring countries, but without letting the powerful neighbors such as China, think they can extend their dominion over our nation". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 01/12/2011)
