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Caritas in Sri Lanka Called to a Future of Peace and Reconciliation December 17th, 2008

Fr. Oswald B. Firth, former director of Caritas/SEDEC in Sri Lanka, addressing the organization on the 40th anniversary of its foundation, called for it to support peace between the Tamil Tigers and the army: “people are exhausted with the war.” Noting that the forty years it has spent helping the population has brought the Catholic organization respect and recognition, Fr. Firth said that, “maybe this is the time when SEDEC could lead such a campaign calling for a just political solution to the crisis. Vision, wisdom and courage will be forthcoming once the initiative is launched. We need to trust in the goodness of people, that they all want peace for their families and for the country.”

Read the article in Asia News, where you can find other articles on the situation in Sri Lanka.

Thousands in Sri Lanka Forced by War to Flee Their Homes July 28th, 2008

Tens of thousands of people in northwestern Sri Lanka have been forced by aerial bombardment to leave their homes and are living out in the open. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundaranayagam, Bishop of Jaffna and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar have both written pleas to the government asking that the bombing stop and the internally displaced people be assisted with food, medicine and shelter.

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NGOs Oppose Sri Lanka’s Bid for UN Human Rights Council Seat May 8th, 2008

The civil was in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate. With the abrogation of the cease-fire in January, 2008, the Sri Lankan government has declared all-out war on Sri Lanka’s Tamil rebels – the LTTE. Thousands have died and tens of thousands have been forced to leave their villages. Often, refugees are forced to move yet again to avoid further conflict. Sri Lanka has known only brief periods of peace and stability in the past two decades.

During a visit to Washington DC on May 6th 2008, Fr. Rohan Silva, OMI from Sri Lanka spoke to the Office of International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference on the ongoing conflict, the worsening living conditions of people as internal refugees and the need to support the resumption of a peace process. The Church in Sri Lanka is accompanying the people and working to give hope to the people.

At the request of Sri Lankan faith groups and NGOs, international groups are demanding that members of the United Nations oppose the Government of Sri Lanka’s bid for membership on the U.N. Human Rights Council on the basis of the serious and widespread human rights violations by government forces.

View NGO statement to the United Nations opposing Sri Lanka’s membership to U.N. Human Rights Council. [05/07/08]

Bomb Kills Sri Lankan Priest April 21st, 2008

Roadside bomb kills Sri Lankan priest known as human rights activist

By Catholic News Service April-21-2008

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNS) — A Jaffna diocesan priest active in promoting human rights was killed April 20 by a roadside bomb on the way back to his church after celebrating Mass in a parish substation.

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Bishop of Mannar calls for Madhu Shrine to be respected as Peace Zone April 2nd, 2008

Bishop Joseph, Catholic Bishop of Mannar Diocese in Sri Lanka, is calling for the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) to leave the Madhu Shrine area and respect it as a peace zone. (Download PDF of Bp. Joseph’s letter)

Sri Lankan Oblate Statement on Deepened Instability July 5th, 2007

As the largest men’s religious and Catholic congregation which has been serving the people of Sri Lanka for the last 175 years, and a group both of indigenous and foreign missionaries who have labored and still continue to work for the human, educational, social, cultural and spiritual welfare and well-being of our people in all parts of the country, we are deeply concerned and perturbed by the horrendous and shocking events that are overtaking our country at the present moment, bringing such misery and untold suffering.

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