For Yangon archbishop, Myanmar's ethnic groups are part of a single family

Mgr Charles Bo makes the point in his message for the feast day of St Anne and St Joachim. The prelate notes that ancestor worship is an integral part of the oriental culture. For this reason, there is an "urgent need to unify in one Myanmar family ", leaving aside hatred because "blood and tears" have no religion. 

Yangon (AsiaNews) - "Ancestor worship and respect for elders is a great hallmark of oriental culture. Today we commemorate the Feast of St Anne and St Joachim, the parents of our Mother Mary. Jesus said to his disciples, 'Know the tree by its fruits' (Mt, 7:17). We know the tree that bore our Virgin Mother, a model of virtue. And we also know the fruit of her womb, Jesus," said Mgr Charles Bo, archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar, in his message to the community of the faithful on the occasion of the feast day of St Anne and St Joachim, which falls tomorrow, July 26.

Drawing a parallel with the country's situation, the bishop called on believers to meet "the urgent need to unify in one Myanmar family. We are a colourful family, like seven children from seven major ethnic groups. We are all sons and daughters of a great nation.

"God has blessed us with abundant gifts. Throughout its history, our nation has been coveted for its beauty, the grace of its people and its incredible natural resources." Yet, "the country is bleeding now," he stressed, "repeatedly stabbed by the dagger of hatred."

"We have seen people die in Rakhine State, Mandalay, Metalia, Kachin and Karen. Myanmar is hovering between life and death and its fate is in the hands of us all. "

Those whom the archbishop calls "hard-core men" choose to "spread hatred in the streets of Myanmar," but as Catholics, he explained, "we condemn all violence, by anyone, from any religion."

"Blood and tears are becoming the rule for some communities in the country. Does blood perhaps have a religion? Do tears have perhaps a religion? Everyone's blood is the blood of the people of Myanmar as a whole. Every human tear is a tear of all the people."

"Those who preach hatred against any community are the real enemies of all Myanmar people. You are destroying the family spirit of this country. You bring shame and distress to your religion.

Source: asianews.it (Jul 25, 2014)