Some two hundred people participated in a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis for the community of Myanmar. He prayed for peace in the country which has been living under a military dictatorship since February.
The readings were done in Burmese, the most widely spoken language in Myanmar.
Despite the time difference, many Catholic households throughout Myanmar watched the ceremony.
The Pope shared a message of encouragement with all of them. He asked them not to lose faith despite the fact that their world is filled with discouragement, fear, violence and pain.
POPE FRANCIS
'It is not easy to look up when we feel pain, but faith helps us to overcome the temptation to turn in on ourselves'.
The Pope also urged them to stay united as a people, a task he said is difficult but crucial, because when a country or an institution is divided, it falls apart. Including the Church.
POPE FRANCIS
'I know that some political and social situations are bigger than we are. Yet the commitment to peace and fraternity always comes from below: each person, in small ways, can play their part'.
We cannot allow a partisan mindset enter into the Church, a way of thinking that divides, that puts each individual first while casting others aside. This is very destructive.
At the end of the ceremony a Burmese priest thanked the Pope for his concern for Myanmar.
He recalled that since the crisis broke out in February, the Pope has made six public appeals for peace in Myanmar, and that its people do not forget the trip he made there in 2017.
P. BOSCO MUNG SAWNG
Burmese priest
'In our tears, in the bitterness of discouragement, and in those moments when the world has abandoned us, we have been comforted and healed by the words of the Holy Father.'
Most of those in attendance were religious sisters or priests studying in Rome.
After the celebration, the choir performed a song in their native language.
The Mass was held on the Church's World Communications day. In a tweet, the Pope called for responsible communications and to expose fake news.
Javier Romero
TR: JM
VM
