From a fenced-off compound close to the Myanmar border in northern Thailand, a rebel leader offers a bleak view of Myanmar’s future, as the country is cleaved apart by a military coup.
The possibility of a deepening civil war in Myanmar is “high,” Gen. Yawd Serk said from his administrative base in Chiang Mai province. “The world has changed. I see people in the cities won’t give up. And I see (coup leader) Min Aung Hlaing won’t give up. I think there is possibility that civil war might happen.”
Yawd Serk is an old hand at confronting military rulers. He is chairman of the ethnic minority political organization Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and founder of its armed wing, the Shan State Army (SSA), which controls large pockets of land in Myanmar’s east. His is one of more than two dozen ethnic armed groups that have been fighting against the Myanmar military — know as the Tatmadaw — and each other in the country’s borderlands for greater rights and autonomy, on and off for 70 years.
Since the military seized power on February 1, deposing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, many of these rebel groups — including the RCSS — have expressed support for non-violent nationwide protests against junta rule, and condemned the indiscriminate brutality and deadly use of force inflicted on Burmese civilians by junta-controlled soldiers and police.
But as security forces continue their deadly campaign, there are signs the country is reaching a turning point where rebel groups could engage in renewed conflict, while some in the protest movement start to push for armed resistance in a bid to defend themselves.

Catholic bishops in Bangla-desh have denounced deadly violence in Myanmar as scores of people continue to be killed in the crackdown on nationwide anti-coup protests.
In a statement issued by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Con-ference of Bangladesh (CBCB), the prelates expressed solidarity with the Myanmar people’s aspirations for an end to military rule and the restoration of democracy through dialogue.
“We call on the military junta of Myanmar to be sensible and to sit with the relevant people for dialogue in order to solve this political crisis of the country, instead of shooting their own fellow citizens. We join the Church in Myanmar in prayers and adorations seeking God’s love and mercy on the people and nation of Myanmar,” said the statement released on April 6 and signed by Bishop Gervas Rozario, chairman of the commi-ssion.
“We the Catholic Church in Bangladesh are the close neigh-bours of the Church in Myanmar, express our support and solidarity with the people and the Church in that country. We too share the pain and suffering of the peace-loving people of Myanmar who only want the democracy back, nothing more.”
The protests over the coup have been the largest since the so-called Saffron Revolution in 2007. The protesters include teachers, students, lawyers, bank officials and government work-ers. Christians of all denomina-tions have taken to the streets with their fellow citizens.

Rights groups and journalist bodies in Pakistan have conde-mned a daily newspaper for pub-lishing an abusive commentary about participants in an annual women’s march.
“Fourteen countries have the highest rape cases of women. The randies [whores] of Aurat March can’t see these non-Muslim countries,” stated the front-page article in Ummat, an Urdu-language newspaper in Karachi.
“Why don’t they abuse re-ligions like Christianity, Hindui-sm and Buddhism of the majority populations of these countries? Why does their voice rip apart while criticizing their teachings?”
Father Nasir William, dire-ctor of the Commission for Social Communications in Islamabad-Rawalpindi Diocese, slammed the controversial commentary.
“It is unethical to use such words in media. They reflect personal enmity, ignorance and stupidity. There are other ways for criticism,” he told.
“However, the women are risking their dignity by protesting on roads and going against the male-dominant culture. Rights cannot be achieved on such plat-forms. We discourage nuns from protesting on roads. They are different from other women.”

As the pandemic roars on in the Philippines and the world, church organi-zers continue with co-mmemorations marking the 500th year of Chri-stianity in the Southeast Asian country.
“It caught us by sur-prise, really,” said Mark Purugganan, a liturgist at Parish of the Holy Sacri-fice in Quezon City just north of the capital Manila. “We already had … started in November 2019 … 500 Holy Hours leading up to March 31. This is the anniversary of the first Easter Mass celebrated in the Philippines.”
Purugganan explained that, during lockdown, time spent with Jesus in the Eucharist became a virtual exercise with a camera focused on the host and projected on big screens outdoors. Instead of silence, vespers prayers were added because “people don’t like dead air,” which he said becomes too stark in a virtual setting.
In a country that loves a celebration, physical participation is much preferred over virtual attendance.
But one piece on social media is taking hold across the country where more than 75 percent of the population has a Facebook account. Father Kali Llamado of the Archdiocese of Manila said Filipinos are learning the anniversary theme song “We Give our Yes!” and posting versions online. The 500th anniversary theme is “Missio ad Gentes” or “mission to the people.”
“We are looking at highlighting certain as-pects where we need to incorporate faith in our daily life,” Father Lla-mado told CNS.
He said in addition to activities on faith formation and the legacy of Christianity, the Manila Archdiocese also has social programs such as hosting pandemic vaccination centers and holding a voter registration drive for the election year 2022. Organizers said the Philippine bishops designated hundreds of “jubilee churches” across the country to hold special commemorations on the mission theme to be rolled out over the next year, culminating in a pushed-back April 2022 celebration.
The actual year that Christianity came to the shores of the Philippine Islands was 1521, when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe from Spain to India, landed on tiny island of Limasawain the central Philippines and started to convert the natives to Christianity. More than 2,200 converted, but those on nearby Mactan island resisted and killed Magellan.

Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Jakarta has called on Catholics to show compassion to victims of deadly flash floods and landslides that hit the country’s predominantly Catholic province of East Nusa Tenggara last weekend.
The disasters, caused by two days of heavy rain due to the Seroja tropical cyclone, hit 12 cities and districts in the province on Easter Sunday, killing at least 128 people, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
About 72 people are re-portedly missing, while 271 homes and 99 public facilities were damaged. More than 8,000 people were evacuated to shelters including ones belonging to the Catholic Church.
He said such compassion “is a materialization of our faith” and “can be blessings for our brothers and sisters.”

Christian human rights groups in Pakistan are urging local courts to reject Sharia punishments for the blasphemy accused in the Muslim majority country.
Last week, a Peshawar High Court bench issued notices to the attorney general for Pakistan and provincial advocate general over a petition seeking orders for the government to remove the option of punishment other than the death penalty for blasphemy from the Pakistan Penal Code.
The petitioner claimed the issue of an alternative punishment of life imprisonment had already been decided by the Federal Shariat Court, but it had not been implemented by federal and provincial governments. The option of life imprisonment was made defunct after a Federal Shariat Court judgement in 1991.
The Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS) UK, a Christian charity dedicated to helping persecuted Christians in Pakistan, rejected the death penalty for blasphemy in a March 25 press release.
“It’s time to stop the misuse of the blasphemy law. We see every day how this law is being misused by individuals and religious groups to achieve their goals and settle their personal grudges, especially against religious minorities,” said Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS.
“Several governments have pledged to stop its misuse, and even recommended 10 years imprisonment for a false accusation, but nothing has changed. Instead, voices against the misuse of the blasphemy law have been forced into silence.”
Kashif Aslam, Deputy Director of the Advocacy and Program National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the Church’s human rights body, in Pakistan agreed.
“Clearly the judges are prejudiced. We are experiencing such attitudes from the beginning,” he said. “Instead of being driven by emotions, they should go by the book. We demand overall reforms in judicial system,” he told.

A new study published by a bishops’ commission highlights the psychological impact of hate speech on religious and sectarian minorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
“Hate speech in Pakistan is accepted as a norm. One of its immediate effects is that people experience a loss of self-esteem. There is a constant fear among minority community members regarding their security and survival. A Hindu student reported losing her interest in studies, claims the study titled “The cost of hate speech.”
It was based on 12 focus group discussions, held between February 2020 and February 2021, with about 200 individuals including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Shia and Ahmadi in both educational institutes and public places around Punjab. Similar sessions will be conducted in urban and rural areas of the three other provinces.
The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the Church’s human rights body in Pakistan, launched its policy brief for Punjab in Lahore on March 17.
The commission made several recommendations including monitoring and regulating religious sermons and seminary curriculum, reforming the education system, a government policy on non-discrimination, a media campaign to pro-mote equality as well as federal and provincial committees to monitor hate speech.
According to Aila Gill, program coordinator of NCJP, this is the first time such data has been collected in the country.
“We have identified more than 50 hateful terms. A lexicon has been prepared with suggestive terminologies preferred by the different minority communities,” she told.
“Religious minorities generally don’t know derogatory hate speech experienced in daily life and have become immune to this common phenomenon. Most of them hide their religious identities and never report such incidents for fear of retaliation. They demand support from the majority community to register complaints against hate speech.”

A new call for peace and an end to violence in Myanmar was launched together by 12 cardinals from different regions of Asia, through the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (Fabc), the body led by the Archbishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo as president.
The initiative echoes a similar message of solidarity that had already been sent in recent days by the Archbishop of Seoul, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung. In the text – which we publish in full below – the 12 cardinals appeal to dialogue to find a way out, expressing particular closeness to Cardinal Bo: “The people of Myanmar we know are peace loving and only seeking an opportunity for progress. They have been law abiding and cooperating with all authorities. At the moment they only seek harmony and end to violence Asia is a continent of peace and of hope, of warm family bonds. We are one family. Peace is possible! ”
It is with deep sadness and great distress that we have been following the events in Myanmar. There is too much anger, too much violence, too much blood shed, too much suffering and pain inflicted on a peace-loving populace which only seeks unity, harmony, and an opportunity for progress in freedom. There have been repeated appeals for calm from the highest quarters. The United Nations Security Council unanimously appealed for a de escalation of violence. Pope Francis has made repeated appeals for peace, harmony, and justice. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for “Dialogue, Reconciliation and Return to Normalcy.”

A Christian lawmaker in Pakistan’s ruling party has drawn flak for rejecting a report on religious persecution in the country.
Shunila Ruth, parliamentary secretary for the ministry of religious affairs and interfaith harmony, faced criticism after she rejected an international re-port that said religious minorities suffered discrimination in the Islamic nation.
Last year, a 168-page report by the UK-based All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ahmadis narrated discrimination faced by their community in Pakistan.
Ruth rejected the report and announced to issue its rebuttal in a meeting last week in Islamabad.
“I feel more protected, safe, and peaceful in Pakistan than any other country of the world,” she stated.
The report, titled ‘Suffocation of the faithful – the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and the rise of International Extremism,’ said “state-sponsor-ed” persecution against Ahmadis intensified following the formation of Pakistan.
It also noted how the denial of freedom of religion for Ahmadis has also led to the denial of freedom of religion for other communities including Chri-stians.
“Security improvements in churches include raised-up perimeter walls, complete with razor wire, surveillance cameras, bomb-proof gates, guards and patrols,” it stated.

Pope Francis on March 25  appointed a new archbishop in Manila Archdiocese, in the Philippine capital. He transferred Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula of Capiz to succeed Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who the Pope had appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in the Vatican on December 8, 2019. The See of Manila has been vacant for more than 15 months during which Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo has been serving as Apostolic Administrator.