ROME — Pope Francis has once again called for an end to violence in Myanmar, marking the one-year anniversary of the February 1 military coup with prayers for peace.

“For a year now, we have been watching the violence in Myanmar with sorrow,” the pope told crowds gathered in the Vatican Wednesday for his weekly general audience in reference to the bloody crackdown on civilians by the ruling military junta.

“I echo the appeal of the Burmese bishops for the international community to work for reconciliation between the parties concerned,” he said. “We cannot look away from the suffering of so many brothers and sisters.”

“Let us ask God in prayer for consolation for this tormented population. To him we entrust our efforts for peace,” he concluded.

Two weeks ago, the Burmese bishops called on all parties to “facilitate access to humanitarian relief, to stop targeting civilians, and to respect the integrity of churches, hospitals, and schools,” Vatican News reported.

Security forces stand guard during a demonstration by protesters against the military coup in Yangon’s Hlaing Tharyar township on March 14, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

“Human dignity and the right to life should never be compromised,” the bishops declared in a joint statement. “We appeal for the respect of life, of the sacredness of sanctuaries in places of worship, and of the integrity of hospitals and schools. All those who try to help people must be protected.”

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar (CBCM), Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, has also appealed for an end to violence in the country.

“We feel your pain, your suffering, your starvation; we understand your disappointment; we understand your resistance,” Cardinal Bo said this week.  “But to some who believe only in violent resistance, we say ‘there are other means.’”

Myanmar is living through a period of “spiraling chaos, confusion, conflict and human agony,” the cardinal said, and now “the whole of Myanmar is a war zone.”

“We have constantly urged for dialogue, the release of the detained, greater freedom of expression and respect for basic human rights of all,” Bo said.