Ten men have been arrested as suspects in the murder of Myanmar priest Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win.
The suspects all came from the village of Kan Gyi Taw in the Sagaing region, where the priest was murdered.
The men were arrested by the military junta, who were fighting against the People’s Defence Force (PDF), the ones in control of the area.
According to Agenzia Fides, the PDF has pledged themselves to assist in identifying the culprits and transfer the people arrested by the military junta to courts located in the so-called “liberated areas,” which are not under the control of the Burmese government.
Father Donald, a 44-year-old priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay in central Myanmar, was murdered by a group of armed men while carrying out his pastoral ministry in his parish of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 14, 2025.
Locals from the village he served said he was active in providing educational work to children and young people with schools being shut down by Myanmar’s ongoing civil war.
His funeral was held on February 16 in his hometown of Pyin Oo Lwi.
More than 5,000 people, including Father Donald’s family, attended the Mass at the Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary despite risks of general violence.
Mandalay Archbishop Marco Tin Win led the Holy Mass, and appealed to “all armed groups and actors involved in the conflict to lay down their weapons and take a path of peace and reconciliation.”
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) called out the “heinous act” committed against Father Donald.
“We therefore call on those responsible to take appropriate measures and ensure that justice is done so that such incidents are not repeated in the future,” the bishops’ conference said in their messages, signed by CBCM President Cardinal Charles Maung Bo.
“May the spirit of brotherhood be reawakened from these shocking experiences: we urge an end to violence," the message further said.
Furthermore, a message of condolences from the Holy See was delivered through Msgr. Andrea Ferrante, Chargé d'Affaires and Vatican representative in Myanmar.
"Rooted in [Jesus’] love, may you be signs of the merciful presence of the Father who welcomes His children and heals their wounds,” the letter said.
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