By Adolf
The Easter Day Carnage that targeted Churches and Hotels was the biggest catastrophe in recent history of the country outside the Ethnic war. I have forwarded many analytical presentations on the carnage as a Catholic having closely followed the events since the date of the massacre and made prediction that the main conspirators behind the attack whom we wish to call ‘Maha Molakarus’ will be left to remain incognito and none will be charged with indictment to face justice of the law of the land. I also make prediction that the current Marxist coloured Government despite better efforts will be unable to make much headway without concrete proof of involvement of those suspected and the underlying complexities of foreign involvement wrapped so far by amateurish governance. President AKD may be sincere in his efforts but seems to lack effective managerial support.
The Government of Gotabaya Rajapakse was clearly sidetracking action in catching the conspirators and meting out justice for the victims which intention was clearly on the wall from the beginning which His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith failed to see. It is important to digest the ground situation on the camaraderie and relationship among our diverse communities. Despite the so called brotherhood among diverse religious communities in the country the fact is Christianity and Christians remain the cynosure of hate and jealousy, most especially of the Buddhist majority with a few negligible exceptions. This fact should be understood by our Church leadership to tread carefully mindful of pitfalls and quick sand when challenging a rock hard government in power. We have had such experiences in the past since 1956.
THE NON ALIGNED POLICY OF THE CHURCH
The Colombo Diocese founded in 1845 was considered the flagship of the Church in Sri Lanka and Archbishop the leader. Thomas Cardinal Cooray was the first Sri Lankan Archbishop of the Diocese installed in 1947 ending his term in 1976. The Church leadership of the Archbishops of the past prior to Cardinal Ranjith becoming Archbishop in 2009 was very circumspect in its liaison with political leadership of the country maintaining a healthy balance and distance. The Church leaders certainly had their political colourings but it remained strictly private and personal. They provided leadership at the most difficult and challenging periods firstly under the Bandaranaikes with Nationalizations, the takeover of our schools and land later the ethnic war.
So much so the Catholic Church earned immense respect for its firm and dignified stand on politicians and politics. Archbishops Thomas Cardinal Cooray, Nicholas Marcus Fernando and Oswald Gomis are still revered and respected for what they were in most astutely and religiously guiding and serving their flock.
MISTAKES OF THE CHURCH LEADERSHIP & FALLOUTS
It is a majority opinion that Archbishop Malcom Cardinal Ranjith went beyond the line of his eminent predecessors. Some speak of his strong outer manifestations of inner feelings for socialist likings from his early age. Aspersions were galore on the Cardinal on his pattern of behavior before and after the Presidential Election held on 16th November 2019 where he openly supported Gotabhaya Rajapakse and lately that of 21st September 2024 helping a Marxist candidate Anura Dissanayake to be President.One may come to the defense of the Cardinal stating that he supported both believing early Justice for the victims of the Easter carnage but he has failed by miscalculation or otherwise. And in that context with lessons learnt in the past he now needs to be wise changing the Church stance from being antagonist to coercive diplomacy having last felt the punches of irritated Gotabaya when President.
Gota targeted the base and foundation of religious activity in the Archdiocese which is mainly in the Negombo belt. His Muturajawela Gazette was a salvo against the Church. Churches with its land and the Catholic households in the area clearly becoming the main targets. State Media began witch hunting the Clergy. Gota then appointed Gnanasara Thero as Chairman of the Task Force for the implementation of his concept ‘One Country One Law’. Gnanasara Thero stance against the Catholic Church was well known. He visited Madhu area to inquire into a land ownership matter against the Madhu Church Authorities on the invitation of a Tamil politician Sri Ranga.
Gnanasara bared his stance on admissions to schools of religious base. Wholly an attempt to admit non-Catholics in numbers to Catholic schools to upset the balance in a new Constitution set to be drafted. If admissions are to be on a proportionate or pro rata basis Catholic children seeking religious atmosphere would suffer with a Buddhist or other religious majority occupying Catholic schools. And Gota on purpose failed to nominate any Catholic to the Committee to represent Catholic interests. Then came the Bopitiya Church fiasco with some Naval Officers of the Welisara Camp warning the Parish Priest of a Bomb threat and to be vary of persons in Cassocks, the threat to be subsequently withdrawn by the Defense Secretary himself stating it as mistake. Then we had the Borella Church bomb incident fizzling out to be a hoax after some innocent and respected Catholics being remanded on false charges.
The Cardinal clearly seems to be wholly obsessed with the punishment of the fiends behind the Easter Day massacre and not with other large matters related to the wide welfare and the Status quo and future of the Church in the country. He needs to think beyond the Colombo Archdiocese and the damage that could be perpetrated on the wide and future interests of the Catholic Church in the country. It becomes important that he realizes that he is gambling staking a minority fraction of the population against a powerful Marxist Regime and the traumatic experiences the Church underwent especially under Marxist backed Sirimavo government. Cardinal’s needs to evaluate himself and the clout he carries which is truthfully below par in confronting the powerful Marxist Regime. It is no trivial matter of what others are thinking as to how one person’s behavior as the leader could affect the Catholic Church as a whole in the context of Christians being a minority in the country.
ENSURING A FUTURE FOR CHRISTIANS
The Cardinal clearly seems to be wholly obsessed with the punishment of the fiends behind the Easter Day massacre and not with other large matters related to the wide welfare and the Status quo and future of the Church in the country. He needs to think beyond the Colombo Archdiocese and the damage that could be perpetrated on the wide and future interests of the Catholic Church in the country. It becomes important that he realizes that he is gambling staking a minority fraction of the population against a powerful Marxist Regime and the traumatic experiences the Church underwent especially under Marxist backed Sirimavo government. Cardinal’s needs to evaluate himself and the clout he carries which is truthfully below par in confronting the powerful Marxist Regime. It is no trivial matter of what others are thinking as to how one person’s behavior as the leader could affect the Catholic Church as a whole in the context of Christians being a minority in the country.
