The Ministry of Religious Affairs hosted the coordination meeting of the Steering Committee and the Working Committee for Religious Titles Conferring Ceremony to be chaired by the State Administration Council of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar yesterday morning in Nay Pyi Taw.
Union Minister for Religious Affairs U Ko Ko, in his capacity as Chairman of the Steering Committee, said a total of 30 Sayadaws would be conferred Abhidhaja Maharatta Guru and Abhidhaja Agga Maha Saddhamma Zawtika titles which are the highest religious titles, with a national level ceremony in the Sasana Maha Beikman within the Uppatasanti Pagoda compound, on 27 March in Nay Pyi Taw.
There are 699 monks, 60 nuns and 145 people who will be conferred the religious titles in 2021, and it would be difficult to place them in a group ceremony according to the social distancing rule of the COVID-19 disease. Apart from the 30 sayadaws who will be conferred the highest religious titles, the rest will be conferred their titles by the Region/State Administration Councils in accordance with the COVID-19 prevention standards at designated places at the same time.
Nay Pyi Taw Council’s Religious Titles Conferring Ceremony will be held after the national level Religious Titles Conferring Ceremony in the afternoon of 28 March in Nay Pyi Taw.
A total of 22 foreign monks, two nuns and one person will not be invited as in the previous year but will be conferred with national titles through the relevant embassies, and a total of 125 people with Sasana Nugaha titles will be conferred in accordance with the guidelines of the Office of the State Administration Council only when the COVID-19 outbreak is under control.
The Union Minister stressed to carefully carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Steering Committee, Working Committee and Sub-Committee for Religious Titles Conferring Ceremony.
Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs discussed the preparation and further plans for the successful holding of the ceremony, and the chairmen of the respective committees explained the responsibilities of each committee for the successful holding of the ceremony and the Union Minister coordinated the meeting.—MNA
