Churches occupied by the military and Christian Communities struggling amid conflict: the story of a parish priest from Sagaing

Father Stephen Sut Awng, the parish priest of Katha in Myanmar's Sagaing State, is currently living in the village of Napa to assist people displaced by ongoing civil war. The priest, who was appointed to the Katha parish in 2025 within the Diocese of Myitkyina, reported to Agenzia Fides that intense fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and Myanmar's armed forces has made daily life difficult and forced him to leave the parish premises.

While Father Sut Awng clarified that St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Katha town has not been occupied by the military, he confirmed that St. Michael’s Catholic Church in the village of Bye Malut remains under military occupation. Located about eight kilometers from Katha, the church is being used to store weapons, preventing the community from celebrating liturgical services in the building.