Vicar General of Loikaw Diocese reports 500 faithful attending Sunday Mass

About 500 faithful attend Sunday Mass at Christ the King Cathedral in the Diocese of Loikaw, according to Father Marko Phe Bya, the vicar general and cathedral parish priest. Father Phe Bya reported the attendance figures during the International Forum of Catholic Action in Rome.

The return of the community follows a period of displacement caused by civil war in Myanmar. In November 2023, military forces occupied the cathedral compound and the diocesan pastoral center, forcing Bishop Celso Ba Shwe, priests, religious sisters, and the faithful to leave. The military subsequently used the cathedral as a base. Father Phe Bya stated that pastoral life resumed as word spread through villages and among families scattered by the conflict.