Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Diocese of Loikaw
Loikaw (Agenzia Fides) - The people of God in the Diocese of Loikaw will return to their cathedral and celebrate Easter 2026 in the Church of Christ the King, which has been reopened to worshippers after the army seized the church and pastoral center in November 2023. Bishop Celso Ba Shwe of Loikaw told Fides that "celebrating Easter in the cathedral is a source of great joy and hope."
The Christ the King Cathedral complex, located in Kayah State (also known as Karenni State), the capital of the Burmese army, had been occupied and transformed into a military base to fight the People's Defense Forces, a resistance movement battling the Burmese National Army, led by the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup.
The bishop, priests, religious, and approximately 80 refugees who had sought refuge in the church had fled. Driven from his episcopal see, Bishop Celso began a life of exile and refugee, remaining with the refugees and building a small bamboo church in the forest. While many parishes in Loikaw were closed due to the absence of the faithful who had fled into the forests to escape the fighting, the diocesan community went through a critical phase, risking dispersal. The tireless work of the Bishop and priests, who continued to travel constantly to provide material and spiritual support to the displaced communities, was crucial in maintaining unity and communion.
Today, after the army withdrew, two priests have taken possession of the church and, after several months of work and with the help of the faithful, have made it accessible again for Easter celebrations, the sacraments, and pastoral and charitable work.
Bishop Celso Ba Shwe is celebrating Easter 2026 with displaced people in the village of Soudu, remaining close and offering comfort to Catholic families living in precarious circumstances and hardship, but who, he emphasizes, “demonstrate profound faith.” “We celebrate the passage from darkness to light, and we will ask God for a time of peace and reconciliation,” Bishop Ba Shwe notes. “The message of Easter is that light conquers darkness, that life is stronger than death, that love triumphs over hatred. Thus, peace is possible,” he tells Fides.
Kayah State is one of those where civil conflict is ravaging the territories, as is also the case in Kachin, Shan, Chin, and Rakhine States, and in the Sagaing region, to such an extent that the number of internally displaced persons exceeds 3.6 million. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 3/4/2026)
