Russian Orthodox Church To Be Built In Myanmar

Construction of a Russian Orthodox Church will begin in Yangon, the former capital city of Myanmar, from early 2025, according to Nikolay Chashin, the Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia and Metropolitan of Singapore and Southeast Asia Sergius has said. Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country.

Father Chashin said “Last year I was fortunate enough to meet the Chairman of the State Administration Council of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing. As a result of the meeting, a number of issues were solved quicker than expected, including the registration of the Russian Orthodox Church in Myanmar, and the allocation of a small land plot in downtown Yangon where the church will be erected. Our plan is to start building the church in Yangon as early as in the first ten days of 2025.”

“The number of Orthodox Christians living in Southeast Asian countries on a long-term or permanent basis has been growing since the early 2000s, and we began receiving requests to open parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church from a number of countries. The church could not just ignore them.”

In 2018, the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia was established, which comprises thirteen countries with 84 parishes.

Myanmar is a member of ASEAN, which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Philippines is the only Christian nation (Catholic) in southeast Asia.