He was the first of the popes to come from a monastic background.

It is estimated that 10 of the male adult population joined the monastic life during the 19th century.

By the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 23,000 Catholic adherents, 55 churches and chapels, representatives of monastic orders, and social and educational institutions (orphanages, schools and a seminary and college).

An overwhelming number of Burma s Buddhist monks have found it difficult to bear the central and regional governments efforts to corrupt their monastic orders, and to misuse the example of the monks self restraint to increase the pressure on other believers.