TravelsWithLobo's video: YANGON CITY TOUR - ST MARY S CATHEDRAL - Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda - THE Five Storey Buddha

MYANMAR - 10-DAY FIRST TIME EXPLORER - YANGON - DAY 1 - EPISODE 4 Asia 2020 - Travel Bucket List ...Travels With Lobo. In this episode we continue with our DAY ONE exploration of Yangon by visiting St. Mary's Church and Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda...the so-called "Five Storey Buddha" that is 14 meters tall. It was not my intent but yes this vlog is about RELIGION and Freedom of Religion. More about that later. Our visit to St. Mary's Cathedral was a total surprise since we did not expect to find a Catholic Cathedral in a country that is 90% Buddhist. Saint Mary's Cathedral or Immaculate Conception Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located on Bo Aung Kyaw Street in Botahtaung Township, Yangon, Burma.[2][3][4] The cathedral's exterior, of red brick, consists of spires and a bell tower. It was designed by Dutch architect Joseph Cuypers [nl], son of Pierre Cuypers. The cathedral is the largest in Burma. Located on the grounds of the cathedral is Basic Education High School No. 6, which is locally known as "Saint Paul's High School", although it has no religious affiliation with the Catholic Church today. Ngahtatgyi Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple in Bahan Township, Yangon, Burma, located off Shwegondine Road. A distinct five-tiered pagoda houses the original 20.5 feet (6.2 m) high Buddha image was donated by Prince Minyedeippa in 1558. A Buddha, 45.5 feet (13.9 m) on a pedestal, 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 46 feet (14 m) wide was erected at the temple in 1900.[1] Now back to Freedom of Religion Our driver makes a point that there is Freedom of Religion in Myanmar a country that is 90% Buddhist. Maybe that is glossing things over a bit. An article by Father Reese of the Catholic National Reporter paints a different picture. "From the early 1990s onward, the military increased its occupation of predominantly Christian Chin, Kachin, and Naga areas, destroying churches and crosses while simultaneously expanding Buddhist infrastructure such as monasteries and pagodas, at times with the use of forced labor exacted from Christians," according to Fleming. "The military routinely occupies churches and summons entire congregations for interrogation." To date, approximately 150,000 people have been forced to flee. In short, the plight of both Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Christians results from the actions of successive governments that have both perpetrated and tolerated severe religious freedom violations. The situation is especially dire because food shortages are getting critical with the possibility of permanent harm, especially to children, on the immediate horizon. As long as these violations continue, Burma will not become a stable, secure and unified country. It's time for Burma to defend religious freedom and embrace its brighter, earlier vision of a multi-religious, multi-ethnic society of unity and tolerance. At a minimum, it must stop the persecution and violence against Christian and Muslim minorities.