Safegurad Madhu Shrine from War
April 3rd, 2008
Press Statement by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka
The ongoing military battles in the north are now threatening the security of one of the country’s most sacred religious sites, the Madhu shrine. For more than 400 years the shrine has served the spiritual needs of Sri Lankans from different communities and different parts of the country. For the past two decades the shrine area has also been host to tens of thousands of persons displaced from their homes due to conditions of war.
The Madhu shrine has become locally and internationally recognized as a safe haven and place of refuge to victims of war. The desire to have battles in its close vicinity or capture it cannot be justified by any military or political purpose. The Catholic Church has complained that shells falling within the church premises have compelled many displaced persons to flee while others still remaining are living in fear and forced to seek shelter in bunkers.
The Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, has issued an appeal to the government and LTTE to respect the area as a zone of peace and ensure that the Madhu shrine remains solely under the Catholic Church in terms of the Madhu Church Reservation under the Pilgrimage Ordinance of 1982. The National Peace Council joins in this appeal and calls on both the government and LTTE to desist from using the Madhu shrine for their military or political purposes.
National Peace Council of Sri Lanka
12/14 Purana Vihara Road
Colombo 6
Entry Filed under: Full Text of Press Release
11 Comments Add your own
1. Isaac casimir | April 3rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
When politicians are drunk with POWER and MONEY nothing will be heard in their ears. It will be like pouring water in a broken vessel. Only God can redeem Sri Lanka.
2. yaseer | April 3rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
i wish peace to our country but with useleaa aimless thieves leading the country its a distant dream for us all. anyway religion and sacred places should be protected.
i pray that the leaders will see the right thing, and protect these religious places.
3. aratai | April 3rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I hope all remember how much Sinhalese Buddhists were upset when Dalada Maaligawa was bombed.
4. Sona | April 3rd, 2008 at 5:10 pm
The Madhu clergy is on the run, trying to protect ‘Our Lady of Madhu’…moving to safer location.
Protection from ‘invading forces’ is what they seek.
Its a foerign army invading…Will GoSL respect other religions in war zones?
5. Rasika | April 3rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
how come the fathers and brothers of the most sacred religious site protest against the protectors of the country and not do any protest against the terrorist by protest ting in wanni for placing bunkers and Artilarry near the church. How come the fathers and brothers openly take part in protest and hartal held by LTTE carrying Velu Prabagarans photo,s. I think we should hunt down these traitor clergy for openly taking the wrong side(side of the evil) even Jesus would not forgive them.
6. anonymous | April 3rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Why are u so biased. Govt hasnt attacked the church anytime. its LTTE. Even when LTTE attacked Army it didnt retaliate because of the church. also in last month LTTE terrorists attacked a church where soldiers were cleaning on the request of clergy and after the motar attack Army lost 6 soldiers. Now who do u think desrespect church? Army or LTTE. Please just for once be patriotic for the nation that u live in.
7. palitha ratnayake | April 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
When there is war (against the worst terrorist org in the world) even in afganistan , germany or england there is no respect for any other religions , so what is this nonsence
remember the massacer of priest in aranthalawa, the japanese monk murdred in jaffna, attack on the sri maha bodhi , dalada maligawa-the most importent place for all buddhist. stop talking , anna seiyardu”adawane”
8. Nimal | April 3rd, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Mahinda Sinthana is more powerful than the allmighty…!
9. Devinda Fernando | April 4th, 2008 at 3:08 am
Protect the Madhu Shrine? Why are the Clergy appealing to the Government? why don’t they go into the backyard of the Church’s property and ask the LTTE to remove their military installations and move somewhere else? This way when the LTTE fire on SL troops the retaliatory fire does not land on the Church.
10. Bomb | April 4th, 2008 at 7:14 am
It is better at least somebody has taken action to take the shrine away to a seceret safe place to protect from LTTE attack. Because LTTE is taking the church as a cover. Once Madhu is cleared it can be relocated.
11. Nimal Jayanetti | April 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
We, Sri-Lankans have lost all our values and respects our ancestors cherished.
Please, for god’s sake, spare the worshipping places. We are showing more and more of an animal behaviour in this so called battles than the human nature.
How many more are going to die before our general mass wake up?
The Madhu priests have no leverage against the LTTE. So, asking the priests to talk to the LTTE is futile.The LTTE is in position to listen to anyone, similar to our government.
Our politicians direct this war as opposed to the Commanders to appease and distract our mass from rational thinking.
Let us live and let others live.
As I ‘ve always said, “good luck to those who believe in solution based on war”.
Peace!
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