Related articles and links |  1 of 2

With the approval of the government, church leaders recently led a group of two dozen religious officials—including 18 Buddhist monks—to what are called "uncleared areas" under the control of LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam, better known as Tamil Tigers). On February 18 the group then held secret talks with senior LTTE leaders at a Catholic center, the Madhu Church, in the diocese of Mannar in Northern Sri Lanka.

The minority Tamil population, comprising less than 20 percent of the total population of 19 million, is concentrated in eastern and northern parts of the island. The Sinhala-speaking Buddhist majority occupies the southern part of the island.

Since 1983 more than 65,000 people have been killed in the bloody conflict between Tamil militants and the Sri Lankan army for the control of the Tamil areas—large parts of which remain under LTTE control.

"We will do all that we can to facilitate peace. So long as our efforts would lead to peace, we will be happy," said the Anglican Church's Bishop Kenneth Fernando of Colombo.

An active member of the Inter-Religious Alliance for National Unity (IRANU) that organized the "peace pilgrimage," Bishop Fernando was speaking to ENI after some Sri Lankan media organizations dubbed the church officials as "political bishops."

"As far as I am concerned, the single-point agenda for the churches is to facilitate peace in our motherland," said the bishop, who was forced to withdraw from the peace pilgrimage at the last moment because of health problems.

The peace initiative has been criticized by many Buddhists who believe there should be no dialogue with Tamil militants whom they denounce as "terrorists."

However, IRANU said in a press release after the Madhu meeting: "From what we saw, heard and experienced during this tour, we are convinced that a meaningful praiseworthy and lasting solution to our ethnic conflict depends on open discussions and negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE organization."

The statement was released at a press conference addressed by Malcolm Ranjith, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka, along with three prominent Buddhist monks who took part in the pilgrimage.

IRANU welcomed the unilateral cease-fire announced by LTTE late last year. But IRANU said its delegates had told LTTE leaders that "we cannot accept any terrorist activities on the part of anyone."

In a plea directed to the Sri Lanka government, IRANU said: "We earnestly request all responsible people of our country to give up the path of war and enter into a peaceful process through discussion and negotiation.

"Let us get together to build a peaceful and united country that respects the identity of each group of people living in our country. Let us create the atmosphere that enables each one to participate in the national life of the country without being discriminated against due to race or religion," said the statement, in an apparent reference to the Tamil minority.

Catholic Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar, who was the host at the secret meeting, told ENI: "We need peace desperately.

"We are neither for LTTE nor for the government," said Bishop Joseph. About half the 70,000 Catholics in his diocese live in government-controlled areas, and half under LTTE control.

next page... |  1 of 2

March (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45