Sri Lanka: Cabinet Minister Says Caritas Wants Anarchy
Posted on March 28th, 2012
March 28, 2012
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Caritas yesterday dismissed allegations from a senior cabinet minister accusing the ChurchƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s social arm of involvement in a major conspiracy to create anarchy within the country.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said Caritas members had organized recent farmersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ protests and had gone to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva to speak against the government ahead of the war crimes resolution made last week.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Caritas provided buses for the farmers to go to the protests and gave them food as well,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ said Sirisena, who is also the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom PartyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s general secretary.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Trade union leaders do not know who is running these protests. It is Caritas Sri Lanka, who also went to Geneva to speak against the country,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the minister said at a public meeting at the weekend in Colombo.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Farmers groups and Caritas said the allegations are completely groundless.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The protests were organized by the Joint National Program for farmers, fisheries and labor organizations, said Nihal Winadhipathi, a farmerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s representative.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Farmers and workers made several demands including an increase in the price of paddy rice because of diesel and kerosene oil price hikes, not to overthrow the government,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Winadhipathi said.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-It is our fundamental rightƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ to protest, he said.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Caritas or any other organization did not provide buses or meals. Many priests and Buddhist monks came to offer moral support,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ he said.
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Church officials called SirisenaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s UNHRC allegation an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-absolute lie.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We did not send anybody to the UNHRC meeting in Geneva ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚¦ it is an absolute lie. Instead, the Church worked closely with the government to support the cause of the country,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ said Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development.
March 28th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Church always come clean. They do everything underground.
Stealing children by the church is worldwide thing. Yet, when one nun was arrested, they talked against it.
March 28th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Farmers and Catholic priests are a very strange combination.
Farmers and fishermen’s protests in the north western province is highly suspicious. Anton Fernando is just one example.
I wish they take up the arsenic matter that is affecting so many farmers seriously without rubbish protests.
The church is divided. Malcolm Ranjith opposes the UNHRC resolution while Rayappu Joseph and some other bishops support it.
March 28th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
It would be foolish to think that the Church is divided. Their game is running with the hares and hunting with the hounds. Malcolm Ranjith and Rayappu Joseph are two sides of the same coin. They both in the end report to the same pedophile protector at the Vatican.
President and the foolish Sinhala Buddhist nation will learn its lesson by getting too close the Christian Church. Its long term agenda is to bring regime change and to balkanize Sri Lanka. They are right now busy extending the Catholic Belt along the North -West Province into North and East. They are also making in roads into the Buddhist heart land of the North Central Province paving way for the break up of Sri Lanka.
Christian Church is the unseen hand of most Sri Lanka’s political problems. It is the Church that works behind influencing the decision making process of Christian countries. Just recently we saw its application at the UNHCR. Sri Lanka has been ear marked for Christianization and it is going apace with the blessings of those very close to the President. President’s wife is a Catholic wielding enormous influence on the President. We do not know about the sons. May be they are Baptized Christians too who could be used by the Church eventually. This situation doesn’t bode well for the Buddhist nation.
If President Rajapakse understands his position
March 28th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
It would be foolish to think that the Church is divided. Their game is running with the hares and hunting with the hounds. Malcolm Ranjith and Rayappu Joseph are two sides of the same coin. They both in the end report to the same pedophile protector at the Vatican.
President and the foolish Sinhala Buddhist nation will learn its lesson by getting too close the Christian Church. Its long term agenda is to bring regime change and to balkanize Sri Lanka. They are right now busy extending the Catholic Belt along the North -West Province into North and East. They are also making in roads into the Buddhist heart land of the North Central Province paving way for the break up of Sri Lanka.
Christian Church is the unseen hand of most Sri Lanka’s political problems. It is the Church that works behind influencing the decision making process of Christian countries. Just recently we saw its application at the UNHCR. Sri Lanka has been ear marked for Christianization and it is going apace with the blessings of those very close to the President. President’s wife is a Catholic wielding enormous influence on the President. We do not know about the sons. May be they are Baptized Christians too who could be used by the Church eventually. This situation doesn’t bode well for the Buddhist nation.
If President Rajapakse understands his position he will choose a different way to lead the nation.
March 29th, 2012 at 2:05 am
In my opinion, there is no way Sri Lanka can sideline the Catholic Church in any aspect.
The Franciscan monk that washed to our shores with Portuguese pirates first and the Dominicans that followed were not the types of Mihindu or Sangamitta who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka. They are the priests that were assigned to be in charge of all the murders carried out by the Council of Lérida in 1237 named as inquisitions. As for what they did in Sri Lanka, eminent professor and historian Tennakoon Wimalananda points out in his book; ‘Buddhism in Ceylon under the Christian powers’ that Padres of those two sects had promoted apostasy with the help of all colonial governments in Sri Lanka.
In that, St. Francis Xavier and likeminded fanatics were so mad they went searching of souls to be saved that were going into hell. Repudiating Xavier’s belief and acknowledging church’s fallibility, Fr. Tissa Balasuriya said that salvation is possible through other religions. And that is against the Church’s interpretation of the Bible hence not acceptable to Vatican. And Fr. Balasuriya got in to hot water.
So, I agree with Ratnapala that no Catholic leader here could do or say what he wants; he has to follow the tradition and dictates of the Vatican. I am sure Rev Malcolm and Rayappu may well have got the approval from Vatican to differ in their opinion on UNHRC resolution for that is not against church’s interpretation of the Bible.
Coming to the point, in spite of the vile acts that Franciscan and Dominican monks inflicted on our ancestors, we have to deal with their descendents for they are a part of us now. As long as the President understands present working and past dealing of the Catholic Church everything will be alright.
Leela
March 29th, 2012 at 3:04 am
Catholics don’t consider them as Christians, but Catholics, and they are only loyal to the Pope and the Vatican. A Catholic could become quite disloyal to his own birth country, when the Vatican demands that, and the Vatican always demands that!
March 29th, 2012 at 5:35 am
Unfortunately some commentators show racism which is not good.
We should unite not divide ourselves at this crucial time.
Because of these few racists we don’t have unity.
There is nothing wrong in what the minister says. He stays with respect.
If Caritas is at fault punish them but don’t brand people because they are Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or Muslim. Every basket has a bad apple.
March 29th, 2012 at 5:54 am
Best to keep religion & politics apart, as in the hard lessons learnt by Britain prior to King Henry VIII, where an independent Britain was possible only after the King broke away from the Catholic church. The Catholic church stiffled scientific discovery fearing loss of control over its flock, and that stood in the way of an industrialised Britain, vital for growth and a better life for all its citizens.
The trouble in Sri Lanka is that Lanka seems to be caught up in every game in the world re SE Asia. We seem to have attracted the main players here, including the churches, re the Hindu caste based problems of Tamil Nadu exported to Sri Lanka mostly via illegal migrants from Tamil Nadu. Lanka is used as a bargaining chip via Tamils & Tamil Nadu, by externals to maneuver India. That may be the reason why India cut Sri Lanka loose/off at the UNHRC. Lanka is on her own to decide her destiny.
Lanka is of course eyed for her various resources too.
On how to protect Lanka :
* Best deport all illegal migrants most of whom are from Tamil Nadu, and look after all the true born citizens of Lanka. Guarding of the coastline should be up to the Navy & the Coast Guard who ought to be very trustworthy. It is also up to the ordinary citizens of Lanka to report illegal migrants into Lanka.
* Get rid of the 13-A.
* Least dependency on Tamil labor, introduce mechanised tea plucking with tea plucking machines.
* Teach English as a link language and Sc&TEch in the villages and to Buddhist priests.
* Have an Oath of Allegiance to Lanka to be taken by all citizens.
March 29th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Muhammed,
I do not accept that discussing contemporary history or past history is racism in anyway.
In my opinion, a ‘racist’ is someone who believes that other races are not as good as their own and therefore treats them unfairly. A ‘bigot’ is a person who has strong, unreasonable beliefs and who thinks that anyone who does not have the same beliefs is wrong.
Neither I nor any Sinhalese that I know of believe they are superior to any other race in anyway. Also they do not condemn other beliefs. Therefore they re neither rcists nor biggots. How many others could honestly say like that is the question? So would you mind telling us the features of racists or who the racists are.
Leela
March 29th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
This is a good move. But I doubt these terrorists will ever change.
From weapons to lipstick.
Tamil Tigers.
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10924779-from-weapons-to-lipstick-former-tamil-tigers-prepare-to-return-home
March 29th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Lorenzo,
They have already changed. They may still be racist but they have changed.
Most British are racist. Most Aussies are racists. Most Chines are racists.
It is because Sinhalese are not racist we you have this problems. We cannot change racism in blood for generations.
But we must have necessary measures to let them act in an acceptable manner.
That is called law and order. To a certain extent one can change people leading by example.
If we hate Tamils for ever , they have no chance of not hating us.
Be tough but reasonalble.
March 30th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
“We did not send anybody to the UNHRC meeting in Geneva … it is an absolute lie. ”
Now it is the minister who should take action. Being in the governement he should be in a better position to punish whoever did bad things to the country ! If the minister lied he should accept now.