A Catholic pastoral centre attached to the cathedral in Loikaw, where internally displaced people have sought refuge for months as part of the ongoing civil war, has been attacked and occupied by the Burmese army. This was reported by Bishop Celso Ba Shwe of Loikaw, the capital of Kayah State in eastern Myanmar. Even holy sites, the bishop said, were not spared from military operations, at a time when the military junta was struggling to wage war on the ground. “The Burmese army tried to take the Christ the King Cathedral complex three times,” he reports. “As a local bishop, I, together with the priests, tried to convince the military generals of the importance of the religious sites and asked them to leave the place to spare, where displaced people are also welcomed. However, on the night of November 26, the military deliberately fired artillery shells at the community centre several times, hitting the roof of the pastoral centre’s chapel. The ceiling was destroyed by artillery shells. For security reasons, “in consultation with the priests, we decided to leave the Pastoral Centre. Shortly before our departure on November 27 , 50 soldiers came and occupied the building to use it as a base and shelter.” About 300,000 people live in Kayah State, Myanmar’s smallest state, which is predominantly mountainous and inhabited primarily by the Karenni ethnic group. The Diocese of Loikaw is located here with around 93,000 Catholic believers. The Bishop’s describes the situation in the area as dramatic: “The Burmese army has used heavy weapons, combat aircraft, armoured vehicles and mobile defence systems. As a result, people in both the cities and the countryside are fleeing in different directions. Some fled to the northern part of the state or to areas of Shan State. Among the refugees were old and sick people, people with disabilities, women and some young people who, until a few days ago, were housed in the community centre in Loikaw, where around 80 have already been housed in the past few months, including 10 priests and 16 religious