Pope Leo XIV has called on the faithful on Nov. 5th, to pray for all those enduring the hardships of war, with a special appeal for Myanmar, a nation torn apart by years of civil conflict and internal turmoil.
At the conclusion of his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo turned his thoughts to those who continue to suffer amid the world’s many armed conflicts.
“I invite you,” he said, “to join me in prayer for all who are tried by the violence of war in different parts of the world.”
In particular, Pope Leo prayed for the people of Myanmar, urging the international community “not to forget the Burmese people and to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.”
The Pope’s prayers for Myanmar come at a time when the nation is grappling with one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises. Nearly five years after the military’s coup that overthrew the democratically elected government, the ongoing conflict has claimed thousands of lives and forced more than three million people from their homes.
What began as mass protests against the coup in 2021 turned into violent clashes between pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups against the military junta.
Entire villages have been reduced to rubble by relentless airstrikes and fighting, leaving millions without access to food, medicine, or shelter. According to United Nations estimates, more than half of Myanmar’s population is now in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
However, Myanmar’s dire situation began long before the 2021 coup. The civilian government that was later overthrown had already drawn international outrage for its handling of the Rohingya crisis, during which the Muslim minority suffered severe and systematic violence.
When Myanmar’s military began its campaign in August 2017, it involved widespread killings, sexual violence, torture, and the destruction of entire villages. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar described the military’s actions as being carried out with “genocidal intent.”
By early 2018, over 700,000 Rohingya had fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, joining countless others displaced by previous waves of persecution. Those still living in Myanmar’s Rakhine State continue to endure harsh restrictions on movement, denial of citizenship, and conditions likened to apartheid.
The violence was perpetrated primarily by the same military that later seized power in 2021. However, the civilian government at the time failed to act.
The international community condemned these acts, but the generals responsible faced little to no accountability.
Four years later, in February 2021, the same military leaders—headed by Min Aung Hlaing—staged a coup d’état that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government. Expecting to seize control swiftly, they instead ignited an unprecedented wave of nationwide resistance.
Since then, the military has unleashed the same brutal tactics once used against the Rohingya, now targeting the entire population of Myanmar. People of all ethnicities and faiths have endured years of oppression, discrimination, and suffering under successive regimes.
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