The Franciscans have made an appeal for peace in Myanmar in a letter to the United Nations.
“We express deep sadness and grave concern with the ongoing repression of millions of citizens in Myanmar following a military coup”: the Franciscans say in a letter sent to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. The letter, also sent to Agenzia Fides, signed by the Minister General and Servant of the Order of Friars Minor, representing some 12,500 Catholic religious brothers and priests present and working in 116 countries, points out: “Franciscans in Myanmar have witnessed firsthand the brutality of the security forces and the insecurity this has created”, stigmatizing “the coordinated violence which continues to escalate on a daily basis”. The text deplores “the death of civilians, arbitrary detentions of thousands of those engaged in peaceful protests, destruction of legal protections, severe restrictions on access to internet and communications, and the subversion of the will of the people of Myanmar expressed in the November 2020 elections”. The Friars Minor who live and work in Myanmar have asked all the Franciscans in the world to intercede for the people of Myanmar.
The Franciscans launch an appeal: “Now is the time for the international community to act in a united, decisive manner to protect against further loss of life, destruction of property, and to ensure the restoration of the democratically elected government of Myanmar without delay. This should include requiring that the military junta immediately desist from using excessive force against the people of Myanmar, the release of those who are illegally detained, restoration of protections guaranteed by law, including the right to peacefully protest”. Friar Michael A. Perry, OFM Minister General, concludes with a wish: “May the people of Myanmar once again experience a return to democracy, and may the current crisis find a peaceful and lasting resolution”.
In recent days, another intervention had come from the East Asia Conference Ministers and the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Office of the Order of Friars: “We join the Myanmar people in their struggle for self-determination under a duly elected government. We are united with them in demanding a peaceful resolution to the military take-over. We are with them in calling for the release of the democratically elected officials of government, of activists, and of youth. We stand with them in their bid to defend human dignity and human rights”.
Seeing the suffering of the people of Myanmar, the friars say they are “edified by the witnessing of the Myanmar people for truth and justice. We are humbled by their exercise of charity towards their brethren. We commiserate with their pain, and, together with the many Christians in Myanmar – priests, missionaries, and laypeople – we join them in praying that this period of darkness hovering over their land will soon end”.
The followers of St. Francis of Assisi address the Burmese army, “Tatmadaw”: “Behold your sisters and brothers. Behold the long-suffering Myanmar, victims of colonial greed, of oppression, of anger. Let us stop our hunger for blood. Let us desist from letting hatred reign in our hearts. Let us call upon the Lord, who promised to be near his people, so that justice and peace may reign in Myanmar, and the long-overdue of reconciliation may begin”.
The Franciscan presence in Myanmar was made official in 2005 with the “Saint Francis of Assisi Foundation”. The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary (FMM) and the Secular Franciscan Order have accompanied the friars of the Foundation from the very beginning. Franciscan vocations have flourished in the country, and currently, there are five solemnly professed local friars, four priests, other temporary professed, novices, and aspirants.
