Just Behaviour and Justice in Religious Conflicts-Some Concerns
February 20th, 2008
A statement by theRt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo
[The Church of Ceylon (E-P) - Ceylon]
The killing of a Pastor and theserious injury to his wife in Ampara by unidentified gunmen must becondemned by all true adherents of all religions. This violent actcallsfor a prompt and impartial investigation by the Police who must dealwiththe perpetrators under the law.I extend the condolences of our Clergy and Congregations to thePastor’sfamily and pray for a speedy recovery for his wife.
May Jesus the GoodShepherd lead you from death to life as you forgive and reconcile withthose who have hurt you so grievously.This murder and certain recent inter-religious tensions in the AmparaDistrict have caused concern amongst small scattered Christiancommunitiesin the area.
Consequently I call upon the IGP to ensure the safety andprotection of Christian Clergy and Congregations in order that they mayfreely practice their Christian faith.If the behaviour of some persons of one religion have hurt the feelingsofpersons of another religion, a responsible inter-religious team shouldbeappointed to mediate and restore harmony. It is this way that religiousdignity and freedom is sustained through conflict in multi-religioussocieties like ours.
Violence and murder is never the answer.Media reports of some Pastors being recently taken into custody forallegedly being in possession of suicide jackets have also causedanxietyamongst Christians. This could lead to a new wave of suspicion andantagonism against Christian Clergy in general.In order that justice may be done by all and inter religious trustrestored soon, I call upon the Police to expedite an impartialinvestigation and to make its findings public.
If the suspects areguiltythey must be dealt with under the law. Christian action that supportswilful death and destruction is a contradiction of the Christian Gospeland is totally unacceptable. In such an event it will also be necessaryfor the particular Church concerned to tender a public apology, and forall Churches to review their procedure of selection and training fortheministry to prevent a repetition of such happenings.
If on the other hand these pastors are innocent they must be releasedandthey and their Church publicly exonerated. The corporate goodwill ofmanywill then be required to eliminate prejudice and restore the good nameofthis church and its members.In the meantime I appeal to those conducting investigations and themediato refrain from releasing bits of information until investigations arecomplete and the full story known.
Some information made public beforeallis known, is improper and can lead to a hasty and unfair judgement ofreligious leaders and communities.The shelling of a church in Mannar by the LTTE in which six soldierswerekilled has led to conflicting reports. Yet regardless of thesedifferentversions, the wilful attack on a place of worship must be condemned.The perpetrators on both sides of this war must take fullresponsibilityfor the wider war culture in which incidents like these occur.
Theabsenceof a neutral monitoring body easily encourages impunity; and thecontinuing disregard for acceptable ethical and humanitarian normseasilyfacilitates the occupation and destruction of places of worship.In these circumstances every death of a soldier, militant cadre orcivilian is a cause for sorrow and regret. While the final solution isforan early ceasefire and peace negotiations, it can never be too late toimplement checks and balances to ensure a humanitarian war till then.
With peace and blessings to all.
The Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera
Bishop of Colombo
19th February 2008
Entry Filed under: Press Statement
