He was elected the sixth Archbishop and Primate of Melanesia, in Honiara, at
12 February 2016 and then enthroned at St. Barnabas Provincial Cathedral, in
Honiara, at 17 April 2016.
I
mprisonment, torture and an experience of
angels are all part of the remarkable life
story of the Most Revd Stephen Than
Myint Oo, the Anglican Archbishop of
Myanmar, a story told in a new book Dancing
with Angels, by Archdeacon Alan Nichols.
Archbishop of Melbourne Dr Philip Freier
praised Archbishop Than for his courage. “He
is a great witness to us. [Christians in
Australia] are fairly complacent about our
place in society, but the things we take for
granted can’t be in Myanmar.”
Because the Anglican Church was identified
with the former colonial power, he said
institutions such as schools and hospitals it
had set up had been stripped away from it.
He said Archbishop Than had also shown great compassion in the way he had
engaged with a society that had treated Anglicans harshly, by looking for ways
the Church could offer loving service.
The Revd Paul Arnott said much could be learned from a marginalised church
in Myanmar “because this is the path we seem to be going down in Australia”.
In conversation with Barney Zwartz, former Religion Editor of The Age and
now media adviser to Archbishop Freier, Archbishop Than reflected on the
challenges of being Christian in a Buddhist, post-colonial country. “[For
example] the Burmese people don’t have a concept of God… or any words for
God.
“[And also] because Christianity came to Burma from England… the Burmese
cannot distinguish between Christianity and colonialism. Christians are white,
they defeated our country, they made our country lose its freedom and
independence.”
In describing Archbishop Than’s encounter with Archangels Michael and
Gabriel, Archdeacon Nichols writes: “From within… the billowing smoke a
huge figure moves towards him and says, ‘I am Michael.’… Another very tall
figure emerges, looms over him and says, ‘I am Gabriel.’…
“… He tells the other bishops, ‘The angels are with us. God is with us on our
journey. We have been keeping our heads down below the table, but we can
now put our heads up, join civil society, and the angels are with us every step
of the way.’”
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