Myanmar cardinal appeals for fighting to end after fatal church attack

This handout photo from local media group Kantarawaddy Times shows a damaged church in which four people taking refuge were killed, in an army shelling in Loikaw in Myanmar's eastern Kayah State on May 23, 2021. - AFP

YANGON (Reuters): Myanmar’s Roman Catholic leader has called for attacks on places of worship to end after he said four people had died and more than eight were wounded when a group of mainly women and children sought refuge in a church during fighting this week.

The conflict between the army and forces opposed to military rule has escalated in recent days in eastern Myanmar near the border of Shan and Kayah states, with dozens of security forces and local fighters killed, according to residents and media reports.