Myanmar Catholics mourn pope who remembered their plight

As Catholics filed into Myanmar's grandest cathedral to mourn Pope Francis on Tuesday, a wartime power cut plunged the worship hall into a murky gloom. But at the front of the pews a portrait of the pontiff remained illuminated by an unseen source–a backup bulb or an open window keeping the image of his face vivid and bright. It was a fitting tribute for a faith leader Myanmar Catholics hailed for shining a light on their country in its recent dark and wartorn times. "Among popes he was the most outspoken on Myanmar," said 44-year-old nun Sister Lucy, one of hundreds packed into Yangon's St Mary's Cathedral as night fell. "Myanmar Catholics will miss him as the pope who always remembered Myanmar," she told AFP. 'People in the peripheries' Pope Francis—who died Monday aged 88—was the only Catholic church chief to visit Myanmar, arriving in 2017 as the country was in the midst of a brief democratic experiment. Since the military snatched back power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar has been plunged into a many-sided civil war which has killed thousands, displaced millions and seen half the population gripped by poverty. The conflict often fails to register on the international stage. But for Pope Francis it was a regular refrain as he called the world's 1.4 billion Catholics to pray. "Let us not fail to assist the people of Myanmar," Francis urged in his final sermon on Easter Sunday, recalling both the civil war and last month's magnitude-7.7 earthquake which has killed more than 3,700. The speech was delivered by an associate because of Francis' faltering health after he was hospitalised for five weeks with double pneumonia. "He's a man who really cared for those people in the peripheries," Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the Archbishop of Yangon, told AFP after leading prayers and hymns. "He would always listen." The special service on Tuesday night was held as Myanmar's military said it would extend a ceasefire declared to ease earthquake relief efforts by one more week. Monitors say fighting has continued despite the truce, with little evidence Pope Francis's calls for harmony have been answered. "The message that he left and the homework that he left for the Church is to build peace and reconciliation in the country," Cardinal Bo said. "He would say, 'Let's open our hearts to everyone'." Cardinal Bo, a Myanmar native, has been named among the potential successors to Pope Francis, with the new pontiff due to be picked by a secrecy-shrouded conclave of cardinals in the coming weeks."We hope that the one that will be succeeding him will have the same sympathy, care and concern for the people of Myanmar," said Cardinal Bo. Catholic faithful are seen in front of a portrait of Pope Francis at St. Maryís Cathedral in Yangon on April 22, 2025. Pope Francis died of a stroke, the Vatican announced hours after the death on April 21 of the 88-year-old reformer who inspired devotion but riled traditionalists during 12 years leading the Catholic Church. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP) 'Practiced what he preached' Inside the sweltering brickwork of St Mary's a number of worshippers wore souvenir t-shirts from Francis's 2017 visit and one nun used a novelty fan celebrating his trip to dull the heat. Just inside its doors, floral tributes were presented before preserved items Francis used on his four-day venture in the Southeast Asian country—a set of vestments, a raised chair, two pillows and a towel. There are only approximately 700,000 Catholics in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which has a population of over 50 million. But Francis "asked the other bishops to get out of their comfort zones", according to 50-year-old nun Sister Margarita, in the rush of the last worshippers arriving for the service heralded by clanging church bells. "No other pope has come to Myanmar but he came," she said. "He practiced what he preached."

Myanmar Catholics mourn pope who remembered their plight

Thousands gather in Yangon’s cathedral to remember Pope Francis — the lone Vatican voice for Myanmar in its darkest times

Subscribe for full access

Case of Kani schoolteacher and family’s murder still unsolved

The Myanmar prisoner who regained his freedom—with a spoon

Cut off by conflict, farmers of the Chin Hills face mounting hardships

When ‘living becomes harder than dying’: The quiet crisis consuming Yangon

KNU expels former chair for violating organisational policies

Raids by Myanmar junta troops displace tens of thousands in northern Magway Region

Sagaing resistance names interim chief as parallel government takes shape

Foreign direct investment in Myanmar has dropped off drastically since coup

Clashes erupt as Myanmar military attempts to exert full control in Kyaukphyu Township

KIA set to fully resume rare earth mining in captured ‘special region’

Myanmar junta airstrikes kill three civilians sheltering in Rakhine State monastery

Myanmar’s factories cling to life as power shortages persist

Bought Out or Seized: Mandalay farmers face impossible choices amid land grab

Myanmar junta partners with Chinese firm to build natural gas terminal despite Rakhine State conflict

Thai officials call on Myanmar regime to crack down on fraud, trafficking gangs on Thai-Karen State border

Myanmar military continues to lose ground to anti-junta forces in northern Shan State

Despite escalating violence, Myanmar junta leader says elections will proceed

NUG-founded bank set to sell shares to meet ‘emergency needs’

Myanmar’s junta bears ‘sole responsibility’ for Suu Kyi’s health—NLD

Karenni youth fight for freedom at the cost of their lives and limbs

The mothers of the Magway resistance

A Myanmar artist finds freedom behind bars—by portraying prisoners’ oppression

As Myanmar’s revolution beckons, a new breed of activist photographers heeds the call

The man behind the Myanmar junta’s campaign of terror in Sagaing

Authorities tighten restrictions on passport process for Myanmar nationals in Thailand

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles