Yangon archbishop named Myanmar's first-ever cardinal

Chrisitianity first came to Myanmar 500 years ago. About 750,000 Catholics live in Myanmar, accounting for 1.3 per cent of population. 

The archbishop, 66, is among 20 new cardinals. He joined the priesthood 38 years ago and has been a bishop for 24 years.

Charles Maung Bo is also among 15 new cardinals – considered "princes of the church" – who are under the age of 80, meaning they are eligible to join the conclave that will elect the pope's successor.

A majority of the new cardinals are from Africa, Asia and Latin America, increasingly key areas as the Roman Catholic Church's support shifts from its traditional European stronghold. The appointment of a cardinal for Myanmar is viewed as a part of Pope Francis’ focus on Asia, particularly Myanmar, which is experiencing a political transition that may affect millions of lives in the country.

The archbishop understands what his country is going through. In his radio speech to mark the New Year 2015, he placed his focus on education for the poor and health services around the country. Voicing the sentiments of Myanmar’s 700,000 Catholics, the archbishop also mentioned modern slavery, extending his concern to the children of migrant workers. He also spoke strongly against war.

“Let compassion become the common religion of humanity. We can make poverty history,” he said through Vatican Radio.

He noted that 2014 was a significant year for Myanmar, marking 500 years of Christianity’s agonising journey in the country.

He highlighted the need for justice and peace in the country. As Myanmar will hold a national election in 2015, he said the Church is designated to preserve human dignity and raise voices on behalf of the voiceless. 

Myanmar is still plagued by religious conflict and fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and several armed ethnic groups. And on the political front, people have expressed dissatisfaction over unfair practices of the government.

The archbishop has recently been engaged in repeated efforts to steer the country in toward unity, encouraging the resolution of conflicts, which still occasionally lead to violence between Myanmar’s various ethnic groups. 

Unity is the only way to ensure that the end of the military dictatorship really opens up the path to peace, he said.

Demonstrating Pope Francis’ heightened focus on Myanmar was the special envoy the Church sent to the country in November to commemorate the 5th centenary of Christianity. Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Bombay and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, led the envoy in a 3-day celebration in Yangon. 

“The nomination of Archbishop Bo is recognition of a Church that experience terrible martyrdom under the Burmese socialist regime of General Ne Win. In 1966, he ordered the expulsion of all foreign missionaries who came to the country after January 4, 1948, the day the country gained its independence from Britain,” said an article in La Stampa.

According to Vatican, as early as 1287, evidence of Christianity was found in the form of frescos containing crosses and Latin and Greek words in some places in Bagan, which was once a flourishing kingdom. After the discovery of the route to India by Vasco da Gama in 1497, Portuguese missionaries set out for the Far East as chaplains to Portuguese soldiers, sailors and settlers. The rich land of the Burmese Kingdom attracted these Portuguese traders, and by 1510, after having founded Goa as a sea port to the East, they came to Myanmar. 

The first proclamation of the Gospel in the land dates back to 1511and is attributed to Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits, who helped establish the first Christian communities in Myanmar. These communities were concentrated mainly in the south of the country where names are found dating to the era of Portuguese rule. 

The celebration of the Church’s 500 years in Myanmarwas meant to take place in 2011, but the nation-wide celebration was not allowed then.

Today, the Catholic community in Myanmar consists of more than 750 priests, 2,500 religious sisters and brothers, and approximately 750,000 faithful, with high numbers among ethnic minorities.