2 senior Roman Catholic clergy speak out against detention of IDPs

Sri Lanka’s two senior Roman Catholic clergy have spoken out against the continued detention of nearly 300,000 Tamil war refugees.

Jaffna bishop Thomas Saundaranayagam, who is also a Tamil, said the refugees are being held in the camps like prisoners.

The Archbishop of Colombo and the Bishop of Jaffna were addressing tens of thousands of pilgrims on the occasion of Madhu festival at a shrine close to the internment camps where the internally displaced persons are detained.

In his sermon, the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Ranjith from the majority Sinhalese community, said this was a beautiful occasion but said it would have been more beautiful if the IDPs now detained could have come.

Father Joe Xavier said that many Tamils are being held in camps while others did not want to visit the shrine this year for various reasons.

Father Joe said, “When our brothers and sisters are now in the camp we just cannot come and celebrate the feast here.”

Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholics revere the statue of Our Lady of Madhu at the shrine in north-west Sri Lanka and 15 August is a major festival.