His Lordship Bishop Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar led the Prayer Service held at St.Sebastian's Cathedral, Mannar for the safety of the Madhu Shrine. Priests of the Mannar Diocese, Religious, a number of Religious Provincials from South and a large number of people participated in the prayer service, which started with the recitation of the Holy Rosary both in Tamil and in Sinhala.
His Lordship Bishop Rayappu Joseph addressing the gathering said that " lakhs of Catholics from every region of Sri Lanka have been gathering at the feet of Our Lady of Madhu, seeking consolation, mediation for human struggles in life and have been always praying to Our Lady of Madhu for peace in Sri Lanka. Madhu Shrine has been not only a place of worship but also a place for refuge for thousands of people who had no where to go during the war." His Lordship also said that he has appealed several times to all concerned both the government and the LTTE for the safety of the Shrine and hope they would respond positively.
After the prayer service held in the Cathedral all joined together with His Lordship walked silently through the streets in the town of Mannar, holding placards and posters appealing for the safety of the Shrine.
When they reached the statue of Our Lady of Madhu at the town, prayed the Rosary once again.Shops in the Mannar remained closed for the peaceful march.
His Lordship Bishop Rayappu and the Priests reached the office of Mannar District Secretary - the Government Agent Mr. Nicolas Pillai and handed over him Press Release of Bishop Rayappu for the safety of the Shrine.
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The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a much respected and venerated shrine to Catholics all over Sri Lanka. For more than 400 years, Catholics and as well as non Catholics have gathered around Our Lady of Madhu as a unique Shrine that has served the spiritual needs of Sri Lankans from different walks of life, different ethnicities, different religions and different areas of the country. For more than two decades, in the midst of the conflict and mass displacement, Madhu Shrine also served as aplace of refuge for all affected people. Madhu Shrine has been recognized locally and internationally as a "safe haven" and a "placeof refuge" for people fleeing in the face of war and destruction.
The Church administration has always maintained the Shrine and the area around purely as a place of religious worship and a place of refuge for displaced people. It was strictly kept out of bounds for any type military or political activity. In the last few weeks, we have been extremely concerned that this sacred Shrine and its functions as a centre of spiritual and humanitarian service has come under severe threat due to the escalation of the ongoing military conflict. Shells are falling within the Church premises several times and many of those staying there have been compelled to leave, while priests and the other church workers who are still remaining, live in fear and are being forced to seek shelter in bunkers.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka, the Bishop and the priests of the Diocese of Mannar have been appealing to the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army to refrain from using the area gazetted as the "Madhu Church" reservation under the "Pilgrimage Ordinance" in 1982 for military and political purposes and to respect its sacred and humanitarian nature. Appeals have been made to the President of Sri Lanka to declare the Madhu Shrine as a "Zone of Peace" through a special gazette notification, in order to ensure that the Shrine can continue to serve as a religious and humanitarian space.
Today, as military operations are taking place very close to the Shrine, we are compelled to make an urgent appeal to both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to respect the Madhu Shrine and the area mentioned above as a Zone of Peace, keep away from the Shrine area and to ensure that this area remains completely and solely under the administration of the Church. At this crucially difficult juncture, we appeal to all Catholics, all Sri Lankans, particularly those who have a deep sense of belonging and devotion to Our Lady of Madhu, as well as all religious leaders and the international community to join in our efforts to safeguard the sacred and humanitarian character of this very special place of worship.
For this intention, we will hold a special prayer service in Mannar, tomorrow, 2nd April 2008, starting from 9.30am at the St. Sebastian's Cathedral. We invite all our Catholics and people of goodwill lo join in our cry addressed to both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to completely desist from using the Madhu Shrine for their military and political purposes. We also invite all faithful and devotees to commit themselves to fast and pray on Fridays and pray the Rosary every Saturday for this purpose and for peace in our dear land.
May Our Lady of Madhu, the Dear Mother of the people of this land, bless our country, with peace through politically negotiated settlement. |
