A priest was shot five times while celebrating Mass in the Diocese of Myitkyina in Myanmar.
According to reports, two unknown assailants opened fire on Fr Paul Hkwin Shane Aung, parish priest of St. Patrick's Church in Mohnyin town, on Friday morning.
The 40-year-old priest was offering Mass with the faithful community and several boarding students when he was gunned down.
He is now hospitalized and undergoing operation after achieving serious gunshot wounds.
Fr Aung was ordained priest in 2013 and is known for his missionary activities.
He has been described by the communities he serves as "humble and compassionate," particularly when he was assigned to the Khamti Parish.
Moreover, Fr Aung is known for caring for the poor, the young, and the Internally Displaced People (IDP) due to the civil war in Myanmar.
No motive was reported yet regarding this attack.
The attempt to murder Fr Aung happened nearly a month after Nammye Hkun Jaw Li, a pastor with the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), was shot dead in Mogaung township on March 18.
According to activists, the civil war in Myanmar has entered a critical phase as anti-social elements begin to stir religious and ethnic conflict in the military-ruled country.
Myanmar is currently dealing with the recent actions of the ethnic rebel group, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which took over several key military bases and outputs since it started launching offensive strikes in March.
Many clergy, pastors, and religious institutions are being targeted by the military for supporting the rebels.
The military overthrew the Myanmar civilian government in 2021.- Luke Godoy
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