(Sept.01,2009): The missionary intention for this month of September is that by
trusting the Holy Spirit,Christians in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar may, amid great
difficulties, courageously proclaim the Gospel to their brothers and sisters. In these
countries, not only are Christians in the minority, they are also often persecuted.
In some places, Catholics are allowed to worship but Protestants are not. Last year,
Pope Benedict XVI met with the bishops of Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar in the aftermath
of Cyclone Nargis that had destroyed so much of Myanmar and he praised the bishops
for their solidarity with the poor and needy. The Pope also commended the growth
of Catholicism in all three countries, evidenced in part by the rising numbers of
vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. The Pope observed as well that the
laity in Myanmar have founded “many new catechetical and spiritual initiatives, often
involving great numbers of young people.” Faced with both great difficulty and
great opportunity, Southeast Asian Christians need our Prayers, says the Holy Father.
He invites us to pray that Christians in these countries may trust the Holy Spirit
to help them to proclaim the Gospel to their brothers and sisters. Christians
make up a tiny percentage of the population of Indochina, where people are predominantly
Buddhists. Laotian Christians number about 100,000 Christians out of 7,000,000; Cambodian
Christians number about 20,000 out of 14,000,000; and Christians in Myanmar (formerly
Burma) number about 1,720,000 out of 45,000,000.)