Card. Charles Maung Bo

Charles Maung Bo is the first ever Cardinal of Myanmar, and the President of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. His appointment was a show of solidarity by Pope Francis for the Burmese Catholics suffering under oppression. Charles Maung Bo, a Salesian friar, has been a long-time, dedicated advocate of disadvantaged Christians and minorities. Having experienced the various religious conflicts in his home country – affecting both Christian and Muslim minorities – he considers the advocacy for religious tolerance his utmost priority. He has been at the helm of the Archdiocese of the capital since 2003. Cardinal Maung Bo has strongly condemned the raging violence in his country, which engulfed Myanmar after a military coup in February 2021. Myanmar set out on its journey to adopt democracy in 1962, after a military coup. Christians are in a minority in the country, though, despite the dictatorial system and the oppression their community has started growing. The Cardinal has called on people to seek reconciliation on numerous occasions. “The only way out of this conflict is if people open their hearts to each other, for we are all the children of the same nation, and violence must only be met with meekness and prayer.”