Speaking at a side event at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva March 15, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon said Myanmar "now stands on the threshold of hope."
"After over half a century of brutal oppression at the hands of a succession of military regimes, and after more than 60 years of civil war, we now have the possibility to begin to build a new Myanmar, to develop the values of democracy, to better protect and promote human rights, to work for peace," he said.
The cardinal said in the post-junta era, Myanmar enjoys a vibrant civil society and free press.
"We have a chance — for the first time in my lifetime — of making progress toward reconciliation and freedom as a nation … We know that while evil has an expiry date, hope has no expiry date."
The speech can be read in its entirety here.