Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Maung Bo has told Australia’s Catholic bishops his country is enduring a deepening “polycrisis” five years after the military coup.
Addressing the opening day of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference plenary held in Sydney on 8 May, the Archbishop of Yangon described a nation facing simultaneous economic, social and humanitarian challenges.
Cardinal Bo said rising prices, widespread job losses and the displacement of more than 3.5 million people had left communities struggling to survive.
Basic health care and education systems were also failing under the strain.
Among young people in particular, daily life is marked by insecurity, psychological stress and a loss of hope for the future, he said.
Despite the hardships, Cardinal Bo emphasised the resilience of the Myanmar people.
“We remain a people of hope,” he told the bishops.
He expressed gratitude to Australian Catholics for their ongoing support, singling out Catholic Mission for its “unwavering solidarity” with Myanmar.
“Your solidarity is not an abstract idea…it is a light in the darkness,” he said.
“Your support reminds our suffering people they are not forgotten by the universal church.”
Marking the centenary year of World Mission Sunday, Cardinal Bo said the milestone was a reminder that mission belongs to the whole church.
“Your partnership with us is not just charity – it is communion,” he said.
He asked the bishops and Australian faithful to continue praying for Myanmar, expressing confidence that peace would one day return.
“We will remember the church in Australia walked with us,” he said.
During the visit, Cardinal Bo also led a short commissioning ceremony for the new national director of Catholic Mission in Australia, Peter Gates.
Born in Monhla Village in 1948, Cardinal Bo joined the Salesians of Don Bosco as a young man and was ordained a priest in 1976.
He served in remote and vulnerable communities where access to education and basic human dignity was often limited.
As Bishop of Lashio, he founded the Missionaries of St Paul to serve neglected communities in northern Myanmar.
Appointed Archbishop of Yangon in 2003 and created a cardinal in 2015, he has become an internationally-recognised advocate for peace, reconciliation and human rights.
Through his partnership with Catholic Mission, Cardinal Bo continues to support initiatives aimed at expanding access to education across Myanmar.
