[Lambeth Palace] At the request of Archbishop Rowan Williams, a pastoral visit was made by the Right Revd Lord Carey to the Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma).

Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, was accompanied by Lady Carey and Canon Roger Symon on the visit which took place November 16-30 2011.

In addition to preaching in many local churches, Lord Carey gave Retreat Addresses to the Provincial Council and to the Yangon Diocesan Council. The group visited the Diocese of Taungoo and the Diocese of Myitkyina in the Kachin State where there has been recent fighting. They saw day care centres for children, the work of the Mothers’ Union, a School for the Deaf, and appreciated the widespread involvement of the Church in health work and social service across the country.

Lord and Lady Carey made calls upon the Minister for Religious Affairs; pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi; and Buddhist and Muslim leaders. They visited the Myanmar Council of Churches, the (Baptist) Myanmar Institute of Theology and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Yangon, and enjoyed many opportunities to admire the rich variety of local ethnic cultures and the vitality of the Church lead by the Archbishop of Myanmar, the Most Revd Stephen Than Myint Oo.

Full press release and photos available here.