Clinging to faith amid the chaos and destruction of the Myanmar War

“When we hear the bombs, I gather the children and we run to the bomb shelter,” said 32-year-old Josie, a member of the Karenni ethnic group who has been raising her family in a camp for internally displaced people since the Burmese army, the Tatmadaw, overran her village. The camps inside Burma lack U.N. protection and are regularly bombed and hit with artillery strikes. Catholic churches, Buddhist pagodas, and Christian seminaries have all been directly targeted.

Josie described how she pushes her four children into the shelter first, then goes in last, using her body as a shield. “I pray the rosary all night and tell the children Mother Mary will protect you.”

Across the border, Chiang Mai, the largest city in Northern Thailand, has become a vital hub in the Myanmar conflict. It serves as a refuge for displaced people, a resting place for resistance soldiers, and a base for aid organizations coordinating relief efforts for those affected by the war. On All Souls Sunday, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Chiang Mai’s main Catholic church, among the European and Asian Catholics, two young men stood out. These men were soldiers from the Karenni Army (KA), one of Myanmar’s 120 ethnic armed groups fighting the military junta that seized power in a 2021 coup.

For these soldiers, attending Mass in Thailand is a risk. Lacking a valid ID or visa could lead to arrest or deportation. Yet, despite a war that has endured since 1948 and the displacement of nearly 80% of Karenni State’s (Kayah State) population, Karenni soldiers and civilians remain steadfast in their faith, risking their safety to worship. These two men held an even more unique status, as they had also served with the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a U.S.-based, faith-driven aid organization bringing humanitarian assistance and ministry to the front lines of the conflict.

While Burma is a majority Buddhist country, several ethnic minority groups resisting the Burmese government have significant Christian populations, including the Karenni (primarily Catholic), the Karen (both Protestant and Catholic), and the Chin (mainly Baptist).

Many Catholics bear Catholic names, like Josie, and Karenni Catholics often have Italian saint names, given to them by Italian priests, reflecting a deep connection between Italy and the Catholics of Karenni State. In 1950, an Italian priest, Fr. Mario Vergara, and his catechist, Isidore Ngei Ko Lat, from the Diocese of Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State, were shot and killed. In 2014, Pope Francis beatified them. Isidore, who was of the Karen ethnic group (distinct from the Karenni), became the first Burmese person to receive this honor.

While Burma’s Christians love the Christian Faith, the Tatmadaw does not. Thaw Reh Est, 47, Secretary Number Two in Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), the Karenni government in exile explained that “the army always does airstrikes always targeting schools, churches, monasteries, clinics and hospitals, and store of food supplies.” He shakes his head angrily. “They try to send a message of intimidation.”

The Free Burma Rangers have nearly 1,000 rangers in the field sending back reports about attacks and civilian casualties. Nearly every day, it seems a church or temple is being hit with an airstrike.

One of the most egregious violations of a place of worship was at the Diocese of Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State. On November 27, 2023, Bishop Celso Ba Shwe issued a statement outlining the dire situation they faced. Around 800 civilians—Catholics, Baptists, Buddhists, and animists—had taken refuge in the compound surrounding Christ the King Cathedral. “The Burmese military attempted three times to take over the compound,” the statement explained, “…but the bishop and the resident priests made an effort to convince the military generals of the importance of the religious sites and requested them to spare the place.”

Unfortunately, the military responded with a barrage of 120mm artillery, hitting the chapel of the Pastoral Center and destroying its ceiling. Forced to make the difficult decision to abandon the Pastoral Center, the bishop and priests stayed with the refugees under their care, leading them to relative safety in the jungle. The Tatmadaw then moved in and established camp in the compound. Bishop Celso Ba Shwe concluded the statement with a plea: “Please continue to remember us in your prayer.”

Of the many armies fighting against the junta, the ones with the largest percentage of Christians are the Karenni army (KA), Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), and the Chin National Army (CNA). Some resistance army bases even have churches—Catholic, Baptist, and Anglican—where soldiers strive to reconcile their faith with the harsh realities of war.

A battalion commander from the Karenni Army, who is Catholic, remarked that although the Bible teaches not to kill, “Soldiers have to kill.” He then clarified, “If our enemies attack, we have to kill them because right now the Tatmadaw kills our families and our people, so we have to kill to protect them.”

Kawsay, a 43-year-old Christian soldier, added, “For me, I don’t want to kill people. We all have value, every life. But even in the Bible, God allowed people to kill evil. I don’t want to kill, but if I have to do that to protect innocent people, the villagers, then I will. I believe humans have two kinds of mindsets: one controlled by Jesus and one controlled by evil. I do believe that God doesn’t want evil to destroy innocent people. So, if I have to do it, yes, I will—to defend good people and to show the love of Jesus Christ.”

In response to a question about whether the Tatmadaw had religion, the battalion commander replied, “Burmese soldiers also have religion, but they have to follow their leader. Their leader has religion on his lips but not in his deeds.” His words reinforced the idea of condemning sin without hating the sinner. Many Christian soldiers emphasized that they did not hate the Tatmadaw—they only wanted to stop the Tatmadaw from killing innocent people.

Kawsay similarly stated, “I’m not perfect. Every day, I think bad things, and I’m a sinner. I feel like everyone, even believers who call themselves Christians, are not perfect. We only get forgiveness by grace.” Just as God forgives siners, Kawsay said he forgives the Tatmadaw. “I forgive them, but in war, in battle, fighting is fighting. But we are fighting with love. We don’t want to act with hate inside us.”

He went on to explain that if a Tatmadaw soldier is wounded, he stops to administer first aid. “I have done it many times.” This is also the approach of the Free Burma Rangers: once a Tatmadaw soldier is wounded, he is no longer an enemy. They drag them to safety and provide food and medical attention. Kawsay added that after bringing them out of danger, they “tell them about the love of Jesus Christ.”

The civilians also wrestle with questions of faith and death while trying not to harbor hatred. Josie said, “The Tatmadaw also have children. How can they hurt other people’s children? For us Catholics, we have to love other families like our own.” When asked if she loved the Tatmadaw, Josie responded simply, “No, they kill people.” She laughed and added, “But if they did not kill people, I would love them. And I always keep praying for the Tatmadaw to change their hearts to be kind and to love people.”

Many of the internally displaced (IDP) and refugee populations are Christian, clinging to their faith despite the loss of their homes, livelihoods, education, and even family members.

In Thailand, around 90,000 official refugees live in UN-supported camps, where they receive food, medical care, housing, and education for their children. Some camps, such as the Karenni refugee camp in Mae Hong Son Province, even offer university education. The war has dragged on for so long that many young people, such as 20-year-old Ku Re, have known no life outside the camp. Born, raised, and educated there, Ku Re graduated from college within the camp and now volunteers, with little hope for the future beyond survival, education, and English language skills.

A Karenni Catholic priest, Father Dominic, is assigned to serve this camp, though he is not permitted to live within it. Each day, he makes a long, difficult drive up and down the mountain on an unpaved road, beginning before sunrise and returning after dark. Despite the arduous journey, he willingly ministers to his parishioners, praying that “God will open the hearts and minds of the Tatmadaw” and that one day the refugees can all return to a free and democratic Burma.

Official refugees make up only a small percentage of the estimated 2 to 3 million Burmese living in Thailand. Most of these unofficial refugees lack ID cards, legal protections, and support, and many are considered stateless. Along the Thai side of the border, numerous Catholic and Protestant churches provide support, with priests and pastors helping displaced people cope with immense hardship.

Without ID cards, they are not allowed to work legally and constantly face the risk of arrest and deportation. Children are often barred from attending school, or if they do attend, they are unable to receive diplomas upon completion. Adults and teenagers generally work as laborers on farms or construction sites, earning about 300 baht (about $9) per day when work is available. However, they are frequently exploited and live in poverty.

Yet, despite their difficult circumstances, they do their best to give a small tithe at Sunday Mass—usually a 20-baht note (about 75 cents USD). It is both heartwarming to see their commitment to tithing despite their hardship and saddening to witness how little they have.

Inside Burma, however, the situation is more complex. While the junta continues to target churches and seminaries, it has not revoked their licenses, allowing them to remain officially recognized, even if the buildings are destroyed. Sixteen Catholic dioceses continue to operate, with courageous priests and nuns serving the faithful at great personal risk. Similarly, Baptist and other Protestant churches are permitted to operate, though the IDP camps—now temporary shelters for over 3 million people—are often far from an official diocese.

These camps, frequently located in remote jungles and mountains to avoid airstrikes, may be inaccessible to priests, leaving Catholics to worship on their own without access to Mass or Communion. Josie explained that in her camp, the faithful take turns meeting in each other’s bamboo huts to read scripture and pray together. Protestants, especially Baptists, are somewhat better off in this regard, as their pastors live with them in the camps and have set up programs to train missionaries who minister to the IDPs.

As mentioned, there is no protection or support for the IDP camps. Any aid provided by global organizations must go through the State Administration Council (SAC) and is never directed to ethnic groups who have fled into the jungle. Since large aid organizations cannot access the war zones, much of the most dangerous cross-border aid work is carried out by Christian volunteers, such as the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), some of whom are veterans from other conflicts. These faith-based aid workers, both in Thailand and within the conflict zones, address the physical and spiritual needs of the displaced Burmese ethnic groups.

David Eubank, head of the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), explained how faith guides every aspect of his and his team’s work as they risk their lives to save others. “Everything I do, I want to be following God and trust that He has a way of love and truth,” he said. “And part of the evidence of love is courage. God gives us a courage that sometimes you don’t have without that love and without that faith.”

FBR teams pray before and after meetings, during missions, and before making major decisions. Rather than asking for victory or the end of the Tatmadaw, they often pray that God will change the hearts of the Tatmadaw and the State Administrative Council (SAC), the junta government, so that they might cease fighting and allow elections.

On any given Sunday, the war rages on in Burma: ethnic people are killed or forced from their homes, refugees cross into Thailand seeking safety, the Free Burma Rangers risk their lives on dangerous aid missions, and Father Dominic makes his exhausting daily journey up the mountain. In a small, humble church on the border, Father Yaw-bat, himself displaced by the war, ministers to a congregation of Burmese Catholics from various ethnic groups—Karenni, Karen, Kayan, Akha, Lisu, Shan, and others—who have fled the violence.

Like all Burmese churches, they pray for the safety of civilians and soldiers alike and for peace—a peace that would bring a federal democracy where all ethnic groups, alongside the Bamar majority, are fairly represented. Reflecting on how Burmese Christians have kept their faith through more than 70 years of war, Father Yaw-bat shared, “As children of God, we believe that one day God will hear our prayer and will answer.”

His words echo Job 13:15: “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.” Burmese Christians embody Job; they have endured trial after trial, generation after generation, yet they remain steadfast in their faith.