Myanmar – A Church on the move

The Catholic Church in Myanmar regards the Synod as a “fruitful opportunity to reconsider its character as a Church on the move, which is really missionary”.

Oct 22, 2021

Archbishop Marco Tin Win


MANDALAY:
The Catholic Church in Myanmar regards the Synod as a “fruitful opportunity to reconsider its character as a Church on the move, which is really missionary”. This is what the Catholic Dioceses in Myanmar affirmed on the occasion of a solemn opening ceremony of the Synod of Bishops’ path on the subject of Synodality.

In Mandalay, Archbishop Marco Tin Win emphasised the “deeply missionary dimension” of this synodal process and, after the opening ceremony, distributed burning candles to the participants as a sign of “being sent on mission”. In doing so, he urged everyone to be “missionaries of the light of Christ in families, cities and in society”.

Fr Robert Kyaw Thu, a Burmese Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Yangon, stressed that “the Synod is the best way to look within, to penetrate into our reality and to open the door for the participation and expression of all members of the Church, to build and develop a real missionary community”.

Paul Mung Jang, a Catholic layman, affirmed that “the Church is sometimes seen as a bureaucratic entity, far from the situation and the lives of the people in the many villages”.

Joseph Win Hlaing Oo joyfully welcomed “the Synod of Bishops on Synodality”, and stated that “it is an extraordinary opportunity for us to reshape the image and life of the Catholic Church and to strengthen the sense of belonging among all baptised who are called to mission”.

Another Catholic, Joseph Myat Soe Latt, noted that “in Myanmar, although the laity are enthusiastic about the mission, the clergy and those in charge are often content with celebrating the liturgies and having a conservative understanding of pastoral care: there is a real need to walk together, to go out into the world to bring the Good News of the Kingdom of God”.

Celebrating and living a synod is an opportunity to strengthen the participation of the laity in the life of the Church and to involve all the baptised in evangelisation, according to the representatives of the Burmese Church. — Fides

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