January 25 was a joyful day for Catholics in Mindat, Chin State, Myanmar, as on that day, Pope Francis erected the Diocese of Mindat, and their church of Sacred Heart of Jesus became the cathedral of the diocese. However, recent events took a tragic turn at the diocese. The Myanmar army carried out bombings on February 6, and several bombs hit the cathedral, causing excessive damage.

A local source of the Fides news agency says that recently Mindat has witnessed fighting between the Chinland Defense Forces (CDF), aligned with ethnic militias, and the army of the Myanmar junta. In January, CDF managed to take the area under their control and declared it liberated from the military junta.

In the bombings, fortunately, no person was killed or injured since the clergy and the faithful left the area because of the recent clashes. The Sacred Heart of Jesus would have been the scene of upcoming liturgical celebrations and the consecration of the newly appointed bishop, Father Augustine Thang Zawm Hung.

A local priest, Fr. Paulinus, said

“We are very sad that our church has been hit by the bombs. It is a wound in our heart. But we will not let ourselves be defeated. We will rebuild it.”

The diocese of Mindat is located in the southern part of Chin State. It is home to approximately 15,000 Catholics in a region in which 360,000 inhabitants are predominantly Christians of different denominations. The diocese has 23 parishes, 48 diocesan priests, three religious men, 21 nuns, 40 minor seminarians, and seven major seminarians.

Source: Agenzia Fides