Yangon Cardinal Charles Bo said it was time to "reverse the trend" of a 60-year decline in Myanmar, designated the "least-developed country" by the World Bank. At the opening of a national conference on Nov. 15 aimed at creating a more equitable distribution of wealth in the impoverished country, Cardinal Bo demanded justice from "the three Cs: cronies, companies and countries nearby. Myanmar resource wealth belongs to Myanmar people," said Cardinal Bo. "It does not belong to looters who save money in Singapore and Geneva. We have gathered here to bring the thieves and robbers to accountability." The cardinal spoke at a conference called Myanmar's Resource Wealth: Toward People-Centered National Savings, Benefit Sharing and Social Protection. Among its organizers was a locally based transparency group that has pushed for greater openness in following revenue streams, particularly in the extractive industry, which international agencies have called "infamously opaque."
Myanmar’s Three ‘Cs’
New Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, Myanmar, carries his scroll after receiving his red biretta from Pope Francis during a consistory at which the pope created 20 new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 14. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Pope Francis taught the church that the magisterium finds its clarity not merely in propositions but in acts of mercy.
Listen to the first episode of a new daily podcast series by America magazine’s editors on the ground in Rome covering the conclave to elect the new pope.
The conclave to elect the next pope will open on May 7, Vatican officials announced today. The cardinals meeting in plenary assembly (called general congregations) in the Vatican decided the date this morning, April 28.
The attention of the church now turns decisively to the question of Francis’ successor and the preparations for the conclave that will elect him.