The Bishop of Colombo has called the Church there to fast, pray and lament over the state of the nation of Sri Lanka after what he described as "the complete collapse of the rule of law" there.
A Statement by the Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo... Many sections of the population are deeply alarmed at the possible repercussions the proposed 18th Amendment to the Constitution will have on our system of democratic governance.
Received via email from the Bishop of Kurungala…I have just returned to the island after the 14th Meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Kingston. Jamaica. I have had to return to a very disturbing situation, which we will try to explain below. I am sure that you have already heard about the worsening situation of the innocent casualties of the civilian population, due to the conflict in the North East of the Country.
As religious leaders, we are extremely concerned about the deteriorating plight of the civilians who are still trapped in the Vanni. Endless debates about the actual numbers trapped or who is primarily to be blamed for their plight are not the most urgent needs at this stage. The immediate and absolutely urgent need is to recognize that this is a very critical humanitarian crisis faced by fellow Sri Lankans
Clergy from the Church of England are being invited to provide respite for Sri Lankan priests in the war-torn country. CoE clergy will be asked to take over from Sri Lankan clergy in safe regions, so that those clergy can provide respite for their countrymen in conflict zones.
The first women priests in Sri Lanka's Anglican Church have said their ordination is a dream come true. The Rev. Chandrika Mayurawathie, along with the Rev. Malini Devananda, whose husband is an Anglican priest, and the Rev. Glory Jeyaraj, were ordained on September 14 by Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo
The deliberate and brutal attack on innocent civilians at Kebittigollawa that has killed more than sixty persons and injured many others needs to be vehemently and outrightly condemned. I offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. Our churches will pray for courage and consolation to enable them to face this tragedy
Immediately following the tsunami, our clergy and congregations of the Diocese of Colombo (DOC) provided relief and care to people throughout the country and amongst all communities. Our response was to provide food, water, clothing, medicine and tents, and to organize multi-ethnic, multi-faith youth groups to join local youth groups in the affected areas in cleanup operations
A disaster of unprecedented proportion hit Sri Lanka on the morning of Sunday 26 December. The tidal wave Tsunami left a trail of destruction in many countries of South Asia but Sri Lanka appears to have been the worst affected. As I write this, nearly 22,000 persons have been confirmed dead. Several more are still reported missing and the numbers of dead keep rising each new day
The birth of Jesus occurred at a time of great political uncertainty and religious intrigue. Palestine had been colonised by the Romans and the Jews were once again a captive people.
The news that there is every possibility of a settlement of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is heartening indeed. The cease-fire between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army has been in force for a few months now and life in the region shows signs of returning to normal.
In spite of church leaders’ hopes that peace would follow December’s elections in this island nation torn by years of ethnic conflict, renewed violence has broken out between rebel Tamil forces and the government.
The Diocese of Kuranagala celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2000. The diocese, which is in central Sri Lanka, is entirely surrounded by the Diocese of Colombo, and about half its size. Kuranagala was originally formed as a missionary diocese of the Province of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon.
To the people of Sri Lanka, who recently experienced their 50th anniversary of independence amidst tight security, the 15 year old internal war has been a continuing tragedy. This is a war that has claimed over 50,000 lives and led to over a million refugees and internally displaced persons.
