The head of Myanmar’s only private Catholic educational institution has described the graduation of its latest batch of students as “an act of resilience” amid ongoing armed conflict and instability in the country. The students at St. Joseph’s Institute “have persevered in their studies despite the profound challenges facing Myanmar’s education system,” said Joseph Win Hlaing Oo, director of the facility.

Hlaing made his remarks during the fifth graduation ceremony held on Jan. 10, the Vatican’s missionary news service Fides reported on Jan. 12. During the ceremony, 30 students – three graduates and 27 diploma holders – received their certificates.

More than 700 graduates have completed courses at the institute, which was founded in 2015 and is authorized to grant state-recognized degrees. It was officially recognized as a Catholic institution by the Archdiocese of Yangon in 2021. Bishop John Saw Yaw Han of Kengtung, Auxiliary Bishop Noel Saw Naw Aye of Yangon, among others, attended the ceremony.  

Hlaing pointed out that insecurity and armed conflict within the nation have had a “drastic impact on both enrollment and the very possibility of continuing studies.” “Some students have had to flee their villages to save their lives; others have died in conflict zones,” Hlaing claimed. He noted that, under normal circumstances and given the institute’s interest, the graduating class could have exceeded 100 students. Nearly five million students have been unable to complete their studies, at all levels of education, between 2021 and 2024, Fides reported.

Catholic bishops in South Korea issued a circular warning Catholics from any association with the controversial Marian shrine in Naju, which is not recognized by the Korean Church and the Vatican. The Jan. 12 letter signed by Father Lee Cheol-su, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK), said the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith issued several notices asking people not to be swayed by those who promote devotion to the Marian shrine in Naju.

The warning followed media reports that Julia Kim Yoon and her followers continue to arrange masses, liturgies, and gatherings in private places to encourage public devotion to unrecognized Marian miracles. Julia Kim founded the Naju shrine, located within the jurisdiction of the Gwangju Archdiocese, in the late 1980s. A Protestant-turned-Catholic mother of four, Julia Kim claimed to have received Marian apparitions beginning in the 1980s.

On June 30, 1985, she claimed that her statue of Blessed Virgin Mary began shedding tears. She also claimed to have been miraculously cured of terminal cancer. Her claims spread, and many started to visit the site, prompting the Catholic Church to launch an investigation into the alleged miracles.

In 1998, then-Gwangju Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi declared that the reported events were “not of supernatural origin.” The Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference has also officially rejected the alleged miracles.

In 2024, the Gwangju Archdiocese warned the faithful about Alexander Kim Dae-sik, a priest expelled from the Salesian congregation in 2022, who reportedly continued to celebrate sacraments illicitly at the Naju center. Despite repeated prohibitions, pilgrims from several Asian countries continue to visit Naju, drawn by reports of healing and mystical phenomena not recognized by the Catholic Church.

The letter alleged that Julia Yoon and her followers not only openly defied the Magisterium (Teachings of the Catholic Church) but also confused many people by falsely claiming the Church’s official approval of the so-called “Miracle of Our Lady of Naju” would soon be given, mentioning the names of the Vatican, the Pope, and high-ranking clergy. 

As 2025 was the 40th anniversary of the Virgin Mary statue in Julia’s house shedding tears, they used the occasion “as an excuse to actively spread false propaganda through various media such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook,” the letter said.

“What is even more concerning is that many clergy, including bishops from Southeast Asia, are participating in the prayer meetings they hold, and that young people from abroad who are interested in our country are receiving information related to Julia in Naju through online content without identification ahead of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day,” the letter said.

The letter urged bishops to refer to the Catholic Bishops’ document “Church’s Teachings on the Issues Related to Julia Yoon of Naju” to anyone seeking information about Naju miracles.

Last year, Malaysian Archbishop Simon Poh of Kuching and Singapore Archdiocese warned Catholics from visiting the Naju shrine to avoid “excommunication.”