Catholic Church Bombed in Myanmar Airstrike

Amid ongoing fighting between Myanmar's military junta and resistance forces, a Catholic church in Chin State has been destroyed by airstrikes, marking another tragic blow to the Christian community in the country’s only Christian-majority region on April 8.

The Church of Christ the King in the town of Falam, part of the Diocese of Hakha, was hit by aerial bombings that devastated the roof and interior of the newly built church.

The walls of the structure remain standing, according to local sources reported by the Rome-based Fides News Agency.

The church, built with great sacrifice by a community of around one thousand faithful, was only recently consecrated in November 2023, replacing a small chapel that had served the community for 75 years.

“There is great sadness now in the community, but also the desire and determination to rebuild,” a local source told Fides.

Over the past nine months, Falam has been a battleground between the Myanmar military and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), a local militia opposing the junta.

After intense fighting, the CDF took control of the city, prompting the military to retaliate with airstrikes and artillery attacks—often indiscriminately hitting homes, public buildings, and places of worship.

In another attack, the military bombed the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Mindat in February 2025—a church intended to become the cathedral of the newly established Diocese of Mindat, erected by Pope Francis on January 25.

According to the Chin Human Rights Organization, at least 107 religious buildings, including 67 churches, have been destroyed by military airstrikes in Chin State alone since the military coup in 2021.

This alarming figure highlights the growing threat faced by faith communities amid the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.

As the civil war continues to escalate, Myanmar’s Christian communities remain among the most affected, their sacred spaces increasingly caught in the crossfire of violence and repression.