COLOMBO (UCAN): The Sri Lankan government declared the Church of Our Lady of Madhu a sacred area. The country’s president, Maithripala Sirisena, handed over documents to Bishop Emmanuel Fernando of Mannar, on October 29
The 400-year-old building once housed thousands of refugees during the 25-year-long conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers.
Situated 220 kilometres north of Colombo, the church contains a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was brought for safekeeping from the Dutch in the 17th century and was consecrated in 1944, near the end of World War II and it continues to draw many worshipers from all over the country and is the holiest Catholic shrine to Our Lady of Madhu.
Sirisena said the shrine area would be developed and maintained with the highest facilities for the benefit not only of Sri Lanka, but also the world.
“I am happy to be involved in declaring the shrine of Madhu a sacred place,” the president said.
“Pope Francis came to Sri Lanka three days after I was elected president,” he told a gathering attended by Bishop Fernando and other priests in Colombo. “And it is my fate that I have two weeks to go before my term ends and hand over this sacred site to you.”
The government duly issued a gazette notice declaring 300 acres of land around the building as part of the shrine area.
A record 35 candidates are standing in the election. Campaigning has centred on national security in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks which killed 259 people including 37 foreign nationals.
Declaring the shrine a sacred place is the most welcome news for Catholics in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka.
Thousands of faithful camp out in the nearby jungle during festival seasons and don’t mind what language the prayers are conducted in.
Moreover, the shrine has become a symbol of unity among not only rich and poor but also among once-feuding Sinhalese and Tamils, who often visit together and even share their food while there.
Nimmi Fernando, who visits the spot every August, rejoiced in the fact people of all backgrounds and beliefs mingle freely for several feasts.
“The shrine has been a symbol of unity among different religions, including Buddhists, Hindus and Protestants,” said Fernando, a member of the Legion of Mary in Negombo.
The Tamil Tigers planted explosives and heavily mined the area surrounding the church during the civil war. The church itself was shelled in November 1999, killing 37 people, including children and wounding 59 more.
The Church of the Sacred Heart located to the left of the shrine also sustained serious damage from wartime bombings.
The bishop of Mannar often called on each side in the conflict not to inflict civilian casualties and pleaded for the area around the church to be a war-free zone, but neither the Tigers nor the army ever consented.
Pope Francis visited Madhu in 2015 and met victims of the country’s 25-year civil war while he was there. The pope urged Tamils and Sinhalese to use Madhu as a place to forgive each other.
In related news, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) called on authorities to ensure that the upcoming November 16 presidential election is free and fair.
They also reminded voters of the importance of wisely exercising their sacred and democratic right to vote.
They said the future president should be a person of integrity who could work closely with everyone, safeguard the freedom and rights of the people, uphold Sri Lanka’s democratic principles and work for the country’s sustainable development.
