Yangon – In a situation marked by suffering and hardship, amid countless difficulties, “you too can become a missionary of hope today”: this was the appeal made during a gathering of more than 1,650 children and young people brought together by the Pontifical Mission Societies in Myanmar in the Catholic Church of the Assumption in Twantay, in the Archdiocese of Yangon, on 18 October 2026, to celebrate World Mission Sunday. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, presided over the Eucharistic celebration and encouraged those present to “become missionaries by sharing the love of Jesus in their daily lives”.
Evangelization, the Cardinal recalled, “is not a task reserved for priests, religious sisters, bishops or adults. Children, too, can become missionaries wherever they live, study and meet other people, especially their peers.” “You do not have to wait until you are adults to become missionaries. You can be missionaries already today,” he told them.
Commenting on the biblical passage, “Arise, shine, for your light has come” , the Cardinal encouraged the children to become “lights of Christ through small acts of kindness, such as welcoming lonely classmates, sharing food with those in need, helping others and standing alongside children who are victims of bullying or exclusion”.
The Archbishop of Yangon stressed that “people can encounter the love of Jesus both through words and through witness”, reminding them that “you are not alone in this work, because Jesus has promised: I am with you always, to the end of the age”.
The missionary journey, he added, “begins in homes, schools, parishes and communities, by serving one’s family, welcoming others, sharing with the poor, praying for those who suffer, and promoting peace and friendship among people of different backgrounds and religions”. In particular, it begins “by drawing close to children and young people affected by conflict, hunger, displacement, illness and other hardships in Myanmar”.
The appeal touches on one of the most painful wounds inflicted by the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. According to reports from international agencies, including UNICEF Myanmar and OCHA, more than five million children in the country are in need and urgently require humanitarian assistance and life-saving protection. More than 1.1 million children have been forced to flee their homes because of armed clashes, seeking refuge in makeshift displacement camps or in the jungle. Children account for approximately 30% of the 3.7 million people currently registered as internally displaced in Myanmar.
In this situation, the education emergency is particularly severe. An estimated seven million children are out of school, while many schools have been damaged and hundreds of educational institutions have been bombed or occupied by armed groups and turned into military bases.
The situation in healthcare and nutrition is equally serious. More than 40,000 children in Myanmar suffer from severe acute malnutrition and are unable to access therapeutic treatment, while one million infants have not received basic vaccinations.
Furthermore, as revealed by several recent journalistic investigations, after five years of conflict there has been an increase in the recruitment of “child soldiers” by ethnic militias and the military junta. Boys and adolescents are being trained to operate reconnaissance drones and wield weapons, suffering trauma as a result of their direct involvement in the conflict, often on the front lines.
Against a backdrop of severe collapse in state structures, the Catholic Church in Myanmar represents one of the support networks still active across the country. In various neighborhoods and conflict zones, women’s religious congregations run day centres and shelters, taking in children of all religions who would otherwise risk ending up on the streets. They provide food and protection, as well as after-school activities, helping the children overcome the trauma of war.
In dioceses hardest hit by conflict and instability, including those in Kachin State and Kayah State, parish compounds have been transformed into permanent displacement camps. There, local priests and catechists are responsible not only for distributing food aid but also for ensuring that children have access to informal literacy classes.
Recalling the precarious conditions in which they live, Father James Kyaw Lin Htun, Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Yangon, reminded the youngest participants of “their missionary responsibility to love, serve and pray for others”, especially the poor and those who suffer. He encouraged them to take an active part in the Church’s mission: “to bring God’s love, peace and hope to a wounded world”.
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