Cardinal Bo: Let Easter Be a New Beginning for Myanmar

In his powerful Easter Vigil homily, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar, invited the faithful to rejoice and find hope in the Resurrection, even amid the nation’s deep suffering.

“Beneath the ashes of war, displacement, devastating natural disasters and grief,” he proclaimed, “we declare a bold truth that echoes from the empty tomb: The stone has been rolled away. The Lord is risen. And hope is alive!”

Preaching at a time when the country is reeling from the recent 7.7 magnitude earthquake—which claimed over 3,700 lives and left many communities without basic services—Cardinal Bo reminded the people that God is not distant from their pain.

“From the burning bush to the blood-stained Cross,” he said, “Scripture tells us one powerful truth: our God does not look away. He hears the cry of the poor… He is the God who descends into the fire, into the sorrow, into the camps and the human conflicts and brings liberation and peace.”

He urged the faithful to see the convergence of Easter and the Myanmar New Year as “a divine invitation to begin again,” to plant seeds of peace, and to dream again for the future of their children and their nation.

“Let us rise,” he encouraged, “not just as individuals but as a people—with hands ready to rebuild, hearts open to forgive, and eyes fixed on the rising sun of justice and healing.”

Cardinal Bo closed his homily with a prayer that “Easter in Myanmar 2025 be not just a holy day but a holy beginning,” affirming the strength and compassion of a people who, even amid immense sorrow, continue to believe that “love is stronger than death, and hope is never in vain.”