On the same day that Pope Francis called for urgent prayers for the troubled regions of Myanmar and the Holy Land, another church was destroyed in the Burmese state of Kayah; the sixth such attack in just two weeks.

Newsdesk (09/06/2021 07:00, Gaudium Press)

On Sunday morning, during the celebrations for the feast of Corpus Christi, the Myanmar military fired shells on the Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Daw Ngan Kha, Kayah state. There were no casualties, but the church suffered significant damage.

The shelling, which began in the early hours of the morning, also damaged nearby houses.

As a consequence of the February 1 coup, in which the Myanmar army ousted the country’s democratically elected leaders and took control of the government, several churches face ongoing attacks in Myanmar in the clash between rebels and the military.

After the May 24 attack on the Sacred Heart church in Kayantharyar, Cardinal Charles Bo, archbishop of Yangon, issued a statement, urging that the attacks on places of worship stop: “It is with immense sadness and pain that we record our anguish at the attacks on innocent civilians.”

“The violent acts, including continuous shelling with heavy weaponry against women and children, have caused unnecessary casualties. This needs to stop. We implore all of you not to intensify the war.”

Pope Francis himself has advocated for peace and unity in Myanmar as the violence continues to escalate.

On Sunday, another appeal was made by the Pope for Myanmar, asking that “each according to his or her religious tradition” participate in a special initiative on June 8, organized by Catholic Action, that calls for a minute’s silence for peace in Myanmar and the Holy Land.

With information from Cruxnow.