“Peace is possible. Peace is the only way. Democracy is the only light to that path.”
The Catholic Church in Korea expresses her deepest concern about the Statement of the Korean Bishops on the Present Crisis in Myanmar
Sharing Lament and Pain with Brothers and Sisters Suffering from the Crisis in Myanmar. H. E. Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, in his message on the heels of a violent crackdown on protesters, appealed for the recent painful situation of Myanmar: “Peace is possible. Peace is the only way. Democracy is the only light to that path.”
The Catholic Church in Korea expresses her deepest concern about the outbreak of violence and the subsequent bloodshed in our neighboring country, Myanmar. Only because they raised their voices to call for freedom, democracy and peace, a number of people are miserably bleeding and falling down on the streets. Dignified lives that no one can deprive of are trampled. Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng knelt down on the ground in front of the heavily armed police officers and cried out; “Shoot me instead.” This outcry is loudly ringing in our ears. Indiscriminate violence in protest sites must be ceased immediately. Every violence “leaves our world worse than it was before” (Fratelli Tutti, n.261).
Korea also had the painful and suffering time in the past as Myanmar is having now. We, all people, learned from history that the normal and innocent people’s appeals and solidarity could open a door to a new world. It is hard to turn back against the path towards defense for not only life and peace but also freedom and justice because it is the righteous course of the history. When we put our efforts to make way for peace, the respect for the human dignity of persons and the common good should be in the core of the endeavor (cf. Ibid, n.232). In this Lenten season to deeply mediate on the mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection, the Catholic Church in Korea expresses fraternal solidarity with brothers and sisters of Myanmar who are walking in the path of the Cross, as sharing indescribable lament and pain.
We ardently pray that a nation community based on democracy, which all the Myanmar people are longing for, can be established through open-minded dialogue at the earliest. O Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
March 11, 2021
The Korean Bishops
