ASIA/SRI LANKA - CHRISTIANS PROMOTE PEACE NOT VIOLENCE: LOCAL CHURCH MAKES SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR INTERRELIGIOUS HARMONY

Thursday, 29 January 2004

Colombo (Fides Service) – Catholics in Colombo will pray and fast to obtain from God the gift of harmony among religions on Sunday February 1. The recent wave of anti-Christian violence is causing Christians to lose sight of hope for restoring a spirit of respect, dialogue, peace and harmony with the Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. In view of this situation Archbishop Oswald Gomis, Archbishop of Colombo and president of the Bishops’ Conference announced a day of prayer and fasting on Sunday 1 February in the archdiocese of Colombo.
A local Church source explains: “We cannot blame all Buddhists for the attacks on the churches. The criminals have still to be identified: we urge the police to make all the necessary investigations. If some Buddhists guru are instigating people to violence these are isolated groups and episodes which must be identified and prevented. If the violence is allowed to continue it will threaten Sri Lanka’s centuries old tradition of religious harmony.
Fides sources say violence is not part of Buddhist DNA: “Buddhism is a philosophy based on non-violence; these episodes are contrary to its nature, tradition and teaching. Buddhists leaders have criticised the violence saying it is an attempt to ruin the image of the Buddhist community. Some think that the violence is being piloted for political reasons, to overstep national Buddhists sentiment which could be functional for determining political plans”.
The source concludes: “We hope religious leaders will give signs of peace calling their communities to dialogue and tolerance. Christians are mainly concerned by the situation of uncertainty: no one knows what may happen next ”.
Late on January 25 January in Mathegoda, east of Colombo, a group of about 20 fundamentalists torched the third Catholic church in few days. In Sri Lanka about 70% of the people are Buddhists.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 29/1/2004 lines 37 words 377)


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