Myanmar cardinal calls for greater respect for religious liberty
February 22, 2016
As a new government assumes power in Myanmar, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon expressed hope for national reconciliation, including forgiveness of the military leaders who ruled the nation from 1962 to 2011.
Speaking with the French news agency Églises d’Asie, the prelate called for greater respect for religious liberty in the officially Buddhist nation, including the return of Catholic schools confiscated by the military regime in the 1960s.
Acknowledging recent progress—including permission to register Catholic schools under individuals’ names—Cardinal Bo called for official recognition of the Church’s right to open schools.
“We want the new government to give us official permission to build churches and convents,” he added.
The nation of 51.5 million is 89% Buddhist, 4% Muslim, 3% Protestant, and 1% Catholic.
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