While working directly with the ruling junta of Burmese generals who run Myanmar “could be a problem,” The Catholic Register’s source is confident aid will eventually reach the victims of the May 3 cyclone through independent non-governmental organizations.

“It is helpful,” the source said in a telephone interview. “Once the access comes in, there are two million people without food, without anything. The world needs to stand by the Burmese people now.”

The Register’s source feared revealing to a journalist a name, location inside Myanmar, the nature of the work the source is involved in, gender or any other information by which the person could be identified.

“I am in a Stalinist, dictator state.”

Even though food is scarce and basic infrastructure has been knocked out by the killer storm, networks of spies and an atmosphere of suspicion still rule in Myanmar, according to the source.

The mostly Buddhist population has turned to its spiritual traditions, and the monks who preserve them, in their hour of need, said the source.

“The monks really conducted themselves very compassionately. They just opened their doors. Most of the monasteries were destroyed. They conducted themselves very nicely by keeping everything open and sharing whatever they had. Many of them didn’t have anything.”

About 1,000 Catholics gathered inside Our Lady of Fatima Church, with more gathered outside, to pray for 134,000 dead or missing May 18, according to a report from the Asian church news agency UCA News.

“It is important to help the neediest people affected by Cyclone Nargis without discrimination,” said Archbishop Charles Bo in his homily. “The good news is that God is one. We are one. In the present situation, all people have trouble. But we need to help others who face more trouble than us.”

The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace has joined the international effort of Caritas Internationalis to raise $8 million over the next three months to finance community reconstruction and rehabilitation that may take years.

“Burma is already 50 years back from the normal world. Only North Korea is like that. This will slow down quite a lot the development. That is my fear,” said The Catholic Register’s source.

It’s too early to say whether the cyclone will either strengthen or destabilize the regime, the source said. For now, ordinary Burmese are keeping their heads down and their political opinions to themselves.

“People would like to keep out of trouble. They don’t want to come on the firing line, that’s their major idea. The basic thing now is not to get into the army’s firing line and get into major difficulties. Others are fighting, that’s true. But they don’t want to get involved in that.”

The Burmese people deserve far better than either their government or the cruelties of Cyclone Nargis, according to the source.

“The people are wonderful people, you know. They are wonderful people and it’s nice to be working with them. There are other things that are very bad. When things cool down I will give you more details. At present, I am more concerned about getting on with work for these suffering people.”

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops invited Canada’s bishops to hold emergency fund-raising collections in parishes over the weekend of May 31-June 1. Among Canadian Catholic organizations that are trying to help survivors in Myanmar:

• ShareLife in Toronto is raising money in all 224 parishes of the archdiocese and will send contributions on to the Geneva-based Caritas Internationalis network of Catholic aid agencies. One hundred per cent of contributions to ShareLife are forwarded to Caritas, and contributions are matched by Ottawa (see www.sharelife.org or call 1-800-263-2595 or [416] 934-3411);


• the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace made an initial contribution of $50,000 to the Caritas network May 9 (see www.devp.org or call 1-888-664-3387);


• Canadian Jesuits International has forwarded $10,000 for cyclone relief.


• The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association executive council sent $5,000 to Médecins Sans Frontiers, and is encouraging its 36,000 teachers to organize classroom fund-raisers.