Pope Francis has extended an offer of asylum to Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's imprisoned leader, proposing the Vatican as a refuge for her. During a recent meeting with Jesuits in Indonesia, he emphasized the need to advocate for her release, stating, “I called for the release of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and received her son in Rome.” He highlighted her status as a symbol of resistance, asserting that “political symbols are to be defended.”

This discussion occurred in a private gathering with around 200 Jesuits at the apostolic nunciature in Jakarta while Pope Francis was on a trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania from September 2 to 13. The Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica published the transcripts of his meetings in Indonesia, East Timor, and Singapore on September 24.

In the meeting on September 4, a Jesuit from Myanmar shared the dire circumstances facing his country and sought Pope’s guidance: “We have lost our lives, family, dreams, and future. How do we not lose hope?” In response, Pope Francis acknowledged the challenges, saying, “Look, there is no universal answer to your question. There are good young people fighting for their homeland. In Myanmar today you cannot be silent; you have to do something! The future of your country must be peace, based on respect for the dignity and rights of all, on respect for a democratic order that allows each person to contribute to the common good.”

Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar has been engulfed in violent turmoil following the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been a prominent leader since her election in November 2020. The coup incited widespread protests, armed resistance, and an unprecedented humanitarian and human rights crisis across the nation. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the archbishop of Yangon, described the situation as an “unprecedented state of turmoil and suffering” in a May interview, noting that more than 100 places of worship have been damaged or destroyed amid the conflict, which has displaced nearly 3 million people in urgent need of assistance.

Furthermore, amidst the ongoing strife between the military junta and resistance forces, Christian Solidarity International has reported an alarming increase in violence against Myanmar's Christian minority. Despite the country being predominantly Buddhist, with constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, Cardinal Bo warned of the rise of fundamentalist forces targeting minority religions over the past decade.