A priest from Loikaw Diocese in eastern Myanmar’s Kayah state has called for an end to attacks on religious buildings following military assaults on three Catholic churches within the space of two weeks.
“We appeal to armed groups not to deploy troops, attack and burn down places of worship such as temples, mosques and churches as well as hospitals and schools,” Father Celso Ba Shwe, apostolic administrator of Loikaw, said in the letter released on June 8.
Without specifying the military, he warned that intentionally attacking places of worship, hospitals and schools constitutes war crimes under the Hague Conventions.
The priest said churches, convents and monasteries have opened their doors to fleeing civilians — especially the elderly, children, women, the sick and the disabled — regardless of religion and race as fighting escalates in Kayah state and neighboring Shan state.
Civilians who have taken refuge in churches and temples have had to flee to other areas for safety, often accompanied by priests and nuns, according to Father Ba Shwe.
The priest took the role of apostolic administrator of Loikaw on December 21, 2020, following Bishop Stephen Tjephe’s death on Dec. 16.