A Chin child plays with a doll in Bethel village in Hmawbi on the outskirts of Yangon, where hundreds of members of the Chin ethnic community have settled after being displaced by fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army in the north. (Photo: Ye Aung Thu/AFP)

This is a letter from Cardinal Charles Bo to Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, elected leaders, responsible persons in the military, civil servants, political and military ethnic leaders, and to all people of good will:

On behalf of Religions for Peace and in the name of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, I warmly congratulate you on the outcome of Myanmar’s 2020 general elections.

The peaceful national elections of November were widely acknowledged as free and fair. This gives the new government a mandate and obligation to pursue the inclusive economic and social goals for which it was elected.

May I mention some matters of concern on which we pledge the support of the communities that we represent. As leaders of faith communities, we commit to work together with one another and with you to support you in the demands of leadership.

We urge you to create the conditions for peace, eliminate all ethnic discrimination, demilitarize Myanmar, seek political solutions, continue to reform the judiciary, education, social welfare and health systems, decentralize decision making and prepare the next generation.

Before the pandemic, Myanmar already faced an environmental catastrophe. Before the pandemic, great damage was done to our people over the past decades of darkness. Yet only by facing the truth of what has and is being done can justice be enabled.

Through your leadership, with farsighted, united, political action, Myanmar will face these challenges, sustain peace and promote a vibrant prosperous future. The rights and duties of all in Myanmar are mutual and our interest in the common good is identical.

Create conditions for peace

There is no one who does not desire peace. The first duty of Myanmar’s new government is to create the conditions for peace. The duty of every national leader, whether civilian or military, is to commit to unity, peace and reconciliation.