Myanmar: The Church Provides Order Amidst Chaos

In the former Burma renamed Myanmar, the years go by with their procession of deaths. The landscapes are now devastated by a civil war with ethnic ramifications triggered on February 1, 2021, by a military coup that led to the rebellion of several armed groups.

According to estimates from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and several United Nations reports, the conflict has caused the deaths of at least 50,000 people since 2021, including around 8,000 civilians. These figures do not include the numerous killings or extrajudicial executions in regions that have sometimes been left completely to their own devices.

The February 2021 military coup plunged the country into a complex armed conflict pitting the military junta (Tatmadaw) against various resistance groups, including the People's Defense Forces (PDF) and ethnic armed organizations. Here is a report based on information available up to February 21, 2025:

In four years, the junta has lost control of more than half of the national territory to rebel groups, particularly after the capture of Lashio in August 2024 by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). Despite this, it still retains some control over major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay.

Due to the war, more than 3.3 million people have been displaced within the country, according to the UN, out of a total population of 54 million, an exodus that particularly affects border regions such as Shan, Chin, and Kayah states. Tens of thousands of other civilians have fled to neighboring countries: Thailand, India, and Malaysia.

It should be added that more than half of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. The forced conscription imposed by the junta in 2024 has also exacerbated labor shortages and pushed young people to leave the country.

Although it represents only 3% of Myanmar’s population, the Catholic Church continues to play a leading role in the conflict that is hitting it hard. Catholics, concentrated in the Chin, Kayah, and Kachin states – where Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups are mainly located – are the hardest hit.

Since 2021, more than 55 Christian institutions have been destroyed, notably by airstrikes and artillery fire from the junta: the Mindat Cathedral was bombed in February 2025, and the Loikaw Cathedral was occupied by the army in November 2023. These attacks aim to traumatize Christian communities, perceived as supporting the resistance.

The Church remains a leading humanitarian actor in helping displaced populations. In the diocese of Loikaw, where more than half of the 41 parishes have been destroyed or damaged, priests and sisters continue to offer shelter, food and care. In Lashio, 600 people have found refuge in the cathedral. Initiatives such as those of Caritas (KMSS) in Loikaw, prioritize aid to the most vulnerable, despite the risks.

These risks are illustrated by the brutal murder of Fr. Donald Ye Naing Win on February 14, 2025. In the Sagaing region, affected by the clashes between the Tatmadaw and the resistance forces, the state system has collapsed, and the parishes are the last seeds of order in the midst of chaos. On February 14, ten armed men “visibly under the influence of alcohol and drugs” stabbed to death the priest who was organizing school support for children.

The future of Myanmar is synonymous with fragmentation of the country and the growing risk of ethnic “balkanization.” But after four years, the Catholic Church, despite persecution, remains a refuge and a voice for peace. On February 11, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon and Primate of Burma, launched an appeal for national reconciliation at the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Nyaunglebin in order to anticipate the moment when the guns will finally fall silent.