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CV NEWS FEED // The faithful worldwide joined in a Feb. 1 day of prayer for peace in Myanmar in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war that has devastated the country for four years.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) organized the 24-Hour Global Day of Prayer. Executive President of ACN International Regina Lynch noted the alarming reality that this crisis is often overlooked, Vatican News reported.
“We have the impression that it’s a forgotten conflict,” she said, “that the people are no longer aware, or maybe were not even aware at the beginning, that there is this terrible civil war going on in Myanmar.”
Currently, an estimated 20 million people in Myanmar are in need of basic humanitarian aid, with 15 million requiring food assistance and 3.5 million displaced from their homes.
The day of prayer marked the fourth anniversary of the conflict, and featured 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration that began at ACN’s International Headquarters in Germany and continued with 23 ACN offices worldwide.
Lynch invited everyone to participate in vigils and recite special prayers for the victims, young people, families, and priests affected by the violence.
“During the day of prayer, we want to remember the victims and deceased in the conflict, asking for comfort for their families and eternal peace for those who have departed,” Lynch said.
Myanmar currently holds the No. 13 position on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, which ranks countries according to the level of danger for Christians living there. This year, the Southeastern Asian country moved up two positions on the list and is now categorized under the “extreme” category of persecution.
According to Open Doors, Christians are “bearing the brunt” of the conflict in the war torn country. The report revealed that an increasing number of Christians in Myanmar have been displaced from their homes, seeking refuge in churches or displacement camps. Many are forced to flee to jungles, where they lack access to food and healthcare.
Government forces continue to disproportionately target Christian villages and churches, often through aerial attacks, which also causes the deaths of Christian aid workers and pastors.
Even amid the turmoil, priests, religious, and lay catechists in Myanmar persist in their mission to bring the sacraments to those displaced by the conflict. Lynch shared with Vatican News the dedication of these individuals, who “travel for days to reach the more distant parishes, experiencing dangerous situations but, in spite of everything, they continue to carry out their work.”
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Lynch emphasized the importance of keeping conflicts like Myanmar’s in the public consciousness.
She added, “I think the world is not aware of how many victims there are from this conflict, how many people are dying, millions made homeless as refugees.”
