Burma: A cardinal shares a cake with the heads of the public, the internet shouts

Burma: A cardinal shares a cake with the heads of the public, the internet shouts

(AFP)

Photos of Burma’s top Catholic cleric Cardinal Charles Bow sharing a Christmas cake with the head of the military junta, which took a bloody crackdown on dissent on Friday, sparked outrage among netizens.

Cardinal Bo met with junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing on Thursday to listen to Christmas songs and talk about “peaceful and prosperous affairs,” the state-run New Light of Myanmar reported.

The bishop, made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2015, later posted a photo of him and the general on his Twitter account, all smiling, cutting a Christmas cake together. Another image released by state media showed the two men chatting while eating under a small Christmas tree.

Burma has been in serious trouble since the coup to overthrow Aung San Suu Kyi in February. According to a non-governmental human rights organization, more than 1,300 people died in the crackdown that followed.

Several armed militias opposing the junta have emerged across the country. Some of the deadliest fighting has occurred in predominantly Christian areas, such as Chin state, where the US government in October reported burning of nearly 100 homes and churches.

“Christians’ churches are set on fire, and yet they agree to meet with another,” commented one user on the social network, referring to the cardinal and general. “People should not go to pray where he lives,” he said.

“It doesn’t represent Catholics. Why are you cutting a cake with such a murderer?” asked another.

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