Our Lady of Madhu Joins Fellowship of Internally Displaced

April 5th, 2008

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj

The Marian church dedicated to our Lady of the Holy Rosary at Marudhamadhu - commonly known as Madhu - in the North - western district of Mannar has provided safety and refuge at different times to thousands of people fleeing the violence of war.

[Our Lady of Madu-Photo Courtesy: Mannaar Diocese]

The benign presence of “Madhu Maadhaa” (Our Lady of Madhu) or “Sebamaalai maadhaa ” (Our Lady of the Rosary) had made church precincts and environs an oasis of refuge and haven of peace in the past.

Yet, in what was perhaps an illustrative indictment of the escalating war, the sacred statue of our lady of Madhu and baby Jesus joined the ranks of those internally displaced by the war in Sri Lanka .

Four Catholic priests Fr.S. Emilianuspillai,Fr. A. Gnanapragasam,Fr. E. Sebamalai and Fr. T. Sahayanathan arrived in a white coloured motor vehicle at the premises of St. Xaviers Church in Thevanpitty on Thursday April 3rd.

They brought with them the sacred statue from the Church in Madhu. It is unclear at present whether the statue will be kept indefinitely at St. Xaviers Church or taken to another safer place in the near future.

As for now the internally displaced “Maadhaa” statue will remain at the church in Thevanpittty .

Thevanpitty adjoins Mulangaavil along the Mannar - Pooneryn road. Technically Mulangaavil falls under Kilinochchi district though it is on the border of Mannar district.

A large number of displaced Tamil Catholics from Mannar district have sought refuge in Mulangaavil and adjacent areas. Now the Marian deity herself has been compelled to follow in the footsteps of her followers and join the fellowship of the displaced.

[Pictures from Mannar Diocese Photo Gallery]

The on going war between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has pervaded and invaded almost all aspects of life in the North - Eastern regions of the Island.

The war has escalated and intensified after President Mahinda Rajapakse was elected with the help of an enforced boycott by the tigers.

In this climate of war the Catholic Bishop of Mannar Most. Rev. Rayappu Joseph has been trying very hard to safeguard and protect the Madhu church from harm.

The Bishop has made repeated requests to both the GOSL and LTTE that Madhu area be declared a zone of peace.

There is very little “military” value in Madhu. It is politically significant.

The security forces can easily by- pass Madhu and progress forward. If that happens the LTTE will have to move out.

Instead of that the forces zeroing in on Madhu.

It is believed that the forces are trying to take Madhu simply because President Rajapakse wants it.

When he was Prime Minister Rajapakse wanted to go to Madhu with his wife who is a catholic.

The LTTE imposed unacceptable conditions and the visit did not take place.

During his presidential election campaign Rajapakse harped on this and “complained” that despite being premier he could not visit all parts of the Country.

The question of Madhu came up during President Rajapakse’s trip to the Vatican.There were specific requests that the Government engage in peace talks and that Madhu not be endangered.

But Colombo was determined to push ahead with war.

Madhu was regarded as a prize target. There are plans to “capture” it and derive political mileage by facilitating pilgrimages of Southern catholics there.

The LTTE is equally determined to resist these military advances as much as it can.

Thus Bishop Rayappu’s plea to officially declare Madhu as a peace zone has fallen on deaf ears.

The Madhu church has been in a beleaguered state for a long time. Still it managed to provide refuge and succour to thousands of internally displaced persons.

[Pictures from Mannar Diocese Photo Gallery]

When the year 2007 dawned there were more than 10, 000 IDP’s in Chuch environs.That number began dwindling drastically due to a number of reasons including brutal LTTE pressure tactics and escalation of war.

By the end of March 2007 the number had reduced by half with about 5,000 people being forced to evacuate by the LTTE during the last week of March.

This process continued and by December last year the IDP population in Madhu had come down to about 1500.

The new year of 2008 saw further decline in numbers. When March 2008 began the number was about 700. When March 2008 ended it was just about 200 people from 36 families.

April saw the last of the remaining IDP’s also leave Madhu. The clergy and laity serving the church also began leaving.

A skeleton “staff” of four priests, four nuns and five civilian employees remained to oversee the evacuation. Many valuables and important documents of the Church were taken out.

On Wednesday April 2nd all communication to the Madhu church and office ceased as military hostilities intensified. Finally on Thursday April 3rd there was a lull.

Utilising that interlude the remaining thirteen left Madhu amidst tears and prayers. They took along with them the sacred statue of Mother Mary. Our Lady of Madhu had left her abode.

Later on the senior priest in charge of Madhu church Rev. Fr, S. Emilianuspillai and three other priests reached the St. Xaviers Church in Thevanpitty/ Mulangaavil.

[Pictures from Mannar Diocese Photo Gallery]

It was indeed a sad moment to listen to the voice of Bishop Rayappu as he stated sorrowfully over the BBC Tamil service “Thamilosai” that the statue was being re- located and that our Lady of Madhu had become a refugee in her own land.

It was for Bishop Rayappu Joseph a personal tragedy as the much misunderstood and much - maligned prelate had struggled very hard to stave off this disaster.

But now like Job of the old testament” the thing that he had greatly feared had come upon him”.

Bishop Rayappu had tried hard in the past to preserve and maintain the sanctity of Madhu . He wanted to avoid military action that would damage the church.

From former LTTE political Commissar Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan to President Mahinda Rajapakse and sibling defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Bishop Rayappu had made several appeals.

There was a tacit agreement that the Church premises and precincts including the 70 acre pilgrim camping area would be strictly a no - war zone.

There was also agreement that the surrounding area of a one - mile radius would be kept free of military activity by either side.

It was an unofficial arrangement.

The weakness in this arrangement was that capturing Madhu church remained a military objective while its outer areas were an unofficial “no - war zone”.

Though Madhu had remained a military objective for more than a year the unofficial “no - war” agreement had been honoured for many months by both sides.

Initially the LTTE had established its defences to the South of Madhu much ahead of the unofficial no war zone.

The security forces in the meantime inched forward slowly towards Madhu. A major reason - if not the only one - for this progress was the exceptional care taken to refrain from causing damage to the Church or its environs.

The military strategy was to surround the Madhu area and interdict supplies to fighting LTTE cadres. This would compel the LTTE to withdraw and melt away from Madhu.

Thereafter the security forces could take Madhu without causing damage to the Church.

The 57 division commanded by Maj - Gen Jagath Dias has been engaged in a three - pronged offensive operation to “seize ” Madhu.

The 57 - 1 is at a point near Palampitty;the 57 - 3 is at Vilaathykulam; 57 - 2 is at Periyapandivirichaan and Sinnapandivirichaan in the South of Madhu.

Despite the stiff resistance put up by the LTTE it was widely believed that the security forces with their overwhelming military superiority would at some point overcome opposition and reach their objective.

Slowly but relentlessly the security forces were pushing the tigers back and a hard - pressed LTTE shifted gear.

The unofficial pledge was supposedly broken by the tigers first who allegedly took 81 mm mortars “back” to the outlying areas of Madhu church and fired at the army.

This apparently was a diabolical ruse to provoke retaliatory fire from the army and thereby make the Madhu church precincts vulnerable.

Firing from civilian infested areas and bringing about counter - fire has been a familiar tactic of the LTTE.

Once this happens and innocent civilians are harmed the LTTE propaganda machine goes into action, lamenting about the plight of civilian casualties.

By all accounts the security forces had not taken the bait this time and had refrained from engaging in unfettered counter - fire.

Maj - Gen Dias however complained bitterly to Bishop Rayappu urging him to pressure the LTTE into removing their mortars from church area vicinity.

Bishop Rayappu kept on “requesting” the removal of those mortars but the tigers flatly denied the charge. They had a logical explanation.

Why should the LTTE shift mortars back from their frontline positions?

Also the LTTE had long - range artillery that could fire from longer distances, it was pointed out.

Militarily the LTTE argument made sense but those familiar with tiger tactics recognized the ploy for what it was.

The tigers had shifted mortars “back” not to gain military advantage but political mileage through provocative firing.

After much delay the LTTE removed the disputed mortars from Madhu church “no - war zone” vicinity

Meanwhile troops to the South of Madhu made significant advances into tiger territory.

A major triumph was the overrunning of a three km long trench. Two artillery positions of the LTTE were also destroyed.

This brought the security forces to about 1. 5 - 2 km of the unofficial ” no - war zone”. This happened in March.

By the end of March a new and troubling development took place. An order was issued in Colombo that Madhu should be “taken” by April new year.

The armed forces made a determined military drive from Periya and Sinna pandivirichaan towards Madhu through the Madhu sanctuary jungle terrain.

Even as the security forces intensified military efforts the LTTE also changed tactics. The tigers began setting up positions inside the Madhu church sanctuary jungle areas.

The LTTE also came into the outer precincts of the church. The tigers were not inside the church or church compound but began using the church camping area which technically is classified as church precincts. This is more than 70 acres in extent.

When church authorities objected the LTTE said “Ask the army not to proceed further in this direction. we will go away”.

The security forces in turn insisted that the LTTE move away first with their artillery and mortars

Both sides were intransigient.

Thus Madhu church environs got militarised

Fighting escalated and shells began raining.

Shells began falling inside Madhu church precincts and camping areas for pilgrims. Shells fell on the priests quarters, outer premises of the church, a drinking water well etc.

The church did not suffer a direct hit but window panes cracked due to explosion impact. A barrage of shells landed on the outlying road to Palampitty.

All civilians evacuated. The skeleton staff took refuge in bunkers, popping out during lulls , to engage in evacuation work.

With the LTTE moving into church precincts and the security forces moving forward church authorities realised that Madhu church was going to be directly caught up in fierce fighting.

This prompted them to leave.

Even as Madhu church precincts became increasingly vulnerable, charges and counter - charges began flying.

The LTTE accused the security forces of making war on holy ground and charged that army shells were falling inside church premises. The army denied the charges and pointed the finger at the LTTE.

The tigers were accused of using church premises as a mortar launching pad. These charges in turn were vehemently denied by the LTTE.

Bishop Rayappu made a last - ditch effort to prevent impending disaster and preserve church sanctity and safety.

He issued a public appeal on Tuesday April 1st urging that both sides keep the Church and vicinity as a peace zone.

Full text of the appeal from the Bishop to protect the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is as follows:

Apeal to protect the Shrine of Our Lady of Madu from all military presence and operations

The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a much respected and venerated shrine to Catholics all over Sri Lanka. For more than 400 years Catholics and as well as non Catholics have gathered around Our Lady of Madhu as a unique Shrine that has served the spiritual needs of Sri Lankans from different walks of life, different ethnicities, different religions and different areas of the country. For more than two decades, in the midst of the conflict and mass displacement, Madhu Shrine also served as a place of refuge for all affected people. Madhu Shrine has been recognised locally and internationally as a “safe haven” and “place of refuge” for people fleeing in the face of war and destruction.

The Church administration has always maintained the Shrine and the area around purely as a place of religious worship and a place of refuge for displaced people. It was strictly kept out of bounds for any type of military or political activity. In the last few weeks we have been extremely concerned that this sacred Shrine and its functions as a centre of spiritual and humanitarian service has come under severe threat due to the escalation of the ongoing military conflict. Shells are falling within the Church premises several times and many of those staying there have been compelled to leave, while priests and the other church workers who are still remaining, live in fear and are being forced to seek shelter in bunkers.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka, the Bishop and the priests of Diocese of Mannar have been appealing to the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army to refrain From using the area gazetted as the Madhu Church Reservation under the “Pilgrimage Ordinance” in 1982 for military and political purposes and to respect its sacred and humanitarian nature. Appeals have been made to the President of Sri Lanka to declare the Madhu Shrine as a “Zone of Peace” through a special gazette notification in order to ensure that the Shrine can continue to serve as a religious and humanitarian space.

Today, as military operations are taking place very close to the Shrine, we are compelled to make an urgent appeal to both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to respect the Madhu Shrine and the area mentioned above as a Zone of Peace, keep away from the Shrine areas and to ensure that the area remains completely and solely under the administration of the Church. At this crucially difficult juncture, we appeal to all Catholics, all Sri Lankans, particularly those who have a deep sense of belonging and devotion to Our Lady of Madhu as well as all religious leaders and the International community to join in our efforts to safeguard the sacred and humanitarian character of this very special place of worship.

For this intention, we will hold a special prayer service in Mannar tomorrow, 2nd April stating from 9:30am at the St Sebastian s Cathedral. We Invite all our Catholics and people of goodwill to join in our cry addressed to both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to completely desist from using the Madhu Shrine for their military and political purposes.

We also invite all faithful and devotees to fast and pray on Fridays and pray the rosary every Saturday for this purpose and for peace in our dear land.

May our Lady of Madhu, the dear Mother of the people of this land bless our country with peace through politically negotiated settlement.

Consequent to the Bishop’s appeal thousands of catholics gathered on April 2nd at the St. Sebastians Cathedral in Mannar for a special service of worship to pray for our lady of Madhu church. Bishop Rayappu Joseph himself conducted the service.

Thereafter the Bishop along with hundreds of religious dignitaries, and devotees of all religions engaged in a peace march from the cathedral through St. Sebastian and Bazaar streets and reached the District Secretariat located on Mannar Main Street

The Bishop handed over an appeal to Mannaar District Secretaty/Government Agent A. Nicholas Pillai.

Mannaar Bazaar remained shut down, public offices and private businesses did not function for more than 3-hours, during the prayer and procession.

Despite Bishop Rayappu’s fervent efforts, events began to overtake.

The LTTE was setting up defences within close proximity to the Church. At the same time there were indications that the security forces would not practise earlier restraint.

Escalating military activity meant that the church would be in the line of direct fire soon.

In that context damage to the Church was a strong possibility

The greatest treasure of Madhu was the sacred statue of Mary and baby Jesus.

The risk of the statue being damaged was very much there.

Thus the painful decision to re-locate the statue was taken.

Earlier it was planned to bring the statue to St. Sebastans Cathedral in Mannar. But the LTTE objected as it was in GOSL controlled area.

The tigers wanted the statue to be brought to the tiger heartland of Mullaitheevu district.

Church authorities refused. After heated arguments there was a compromise.

So the statue was taken to Thevanpitty along Mulangaavil in LTTE controlled territory.

How long the statue will remain at this temporary abode is a perplexing question.

If the security forces establish full control over Madhu and the Church can resume normal functioning then the statue can be brought back.

But will the LTTE allow it?

On the other hand can the statue remain in safety for long at Thevanpitty?

If and when the security forces push forward along the Mannar - Pooneryn road , Mulangaavil along that route will be affected.

What happens then?

Will the statue be taken further to the interior inside tiger territory?

Meanwhile there would be pressure on Bishop Rayappu that he negotiate with the LTTE and ensure that the statue is brought to GOSL controlled areas.

With contending demands and pressures Bishop Joseph Rayappu will be in an unenviable position.

It has become fashionable in certain circles to blame the Bishop and accuse him unfairly of being a tiger agent.

Only those familiar with the intricacies of the relationship between the Catholic church and the LTTE understand the difficulties involved and the tight - rope walking undertaken.

Few are aware of the numerous incidents of friction between Bishop Rayappu and the LTTE. The Bishop does not publicise these matters due to a sense of greater responsibility and duty.

[at the Madhu Church-pic by Mahesh]

Fr. Emilianuspillai who is the priest in charge of Madhu church has also had many altercations with the LTTE in trying to maintain the independence of the Church at Madhu.

Bishop Rayappu and Fr. Emilianuspillai like all men are fallible and may have compromised or made errors of judgment. But their hearts have always been in the right place and have remained true to their calling and mission.

The Catholic Bishops Conference (CBCSL) issued a statement on Madhu after the statue was taken out.

Here are some excerpts:

“It is with deep sadness we learn that the hallowed and miraculous Statue of Our Lady of Madhu had to be removed from the Shrine due to the escalation of the armed conflict in and around the sacred area.

What alarms us is that the sacred precincts of this particular sanctuary is rapidly becoming the arena of the war and continued military oper tions.

There is every danger that the sanctuary will be devastated in such an armed conflict..

We, the Catholic Bishops, therefore earnestly appeal to the Government and the LTTE to be conscious that the hallowed shrine of Madhu has been and is precious to all communities of our beloved land and thus avoid at any cost making it a zone of the combat and thereby ensure its safety and sanctity. It will hurt the sensibilities of all Catholics and people of good will to see the desecration of this shrine and its destruction.”

Meanwhile Bishop Rayappu Joseph appealed for assistance from the Vatican to resolve the prevailing volatile security situation in the Madhu Church area.

The Bishop informed the Vatican about the ongoing conflict situation in the Madhu Church area between the LTTE and the government forces and requested the Vatican to intervene diplomatically in resolving the matter.

He told a Colombo newspaper that he had informed the Vatican through Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Mario Zenari.

“I briefed him of the situation and told him to inform the Vatican to do something,” he said. Meanwhile he had also told the LTTE to vacate the church area and the army to reopen the roads. ” the Bishop said.

Bishop Rayappu is desperately seeking an end to the fighting around Madhu and bring back the sacred statue.

The possiblity of this happening is doubtful due to the “prestige” issue surrounding Madhu. One cannot see Colombo or Kilinochchi giving in.

There is an imperative need for the sacred statue to return to its rightful place soon.

There is no doubt that thousands of Catholics are hoping and praying for such a return.

Bishop Rayappu’s request that faithful devotees fast and pray on Fridays and pray the Rosary on Saturdays evokes a sense of poignant irony in this columnist.

Though a protestant Christian I have moved with many devout Catholics and witnessed first - hand their faith and devotion.There is a special place in their hearts for Our Lady of Madhu .

This columnist has been a pilgrim to Madhu during happier times and has worshipped with people of different races and religions at the holy shrine. Madhu has truly been a multi - ethnic , multi - faith magnet.

The legends surrounding Madhu speak of Mother Mary curing snake - bite victims and extending protection from elephant ravages. Many people bring back earth from the sacred soil as a token of blessing

People make pious vows to the Church and observe them strictly. Our Lady of Madhu is specially prayed to by many on Friday prayer - fasts and Saturday Rosary prayers.

Today faithful Cathoilics are being asked by the Bishop to pray for Madhu being preserved as a haven of peace.

Devotees would be praying to our Lady of Madhu who is herself today displaced from her abode.

Tragic!

Humanity cries out for divine intervention at times of sorrow and distress. This is the basis on which religion is perpetuated.

But what does one do when the earthy manifestation of the divine deity to which one prays is herself in distress and is displaced?

Yet the history of our lady of Madhu and the mystique that surrounds her demonstrates that her displacement is only temporary.

The “Maadhaa” will surely return triumphantly to her rightful abode in Marudhamadhu.

If the displacement of the sacred statue is the nadir of war then the return would herald the zenith of peace.

The return of our lady of Madhu could be a harbinger of peace with Justice

Hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Let us hope then that our Lady of Madhu will be restored to her rightful abode soon and that peace prevails with justice in this land .

Related: Madhu Church: Tragic Casualty of Politico-Military Crossfire- by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Entry Filed under: transCurrents NewsFeatures