Sri Lanka President drops by revered Marian shrine

(December 12, 2009) President Mahinda Rajapaksa and parliamentarians have made a brief visit to the popular Madhu Marian shrine and participated in a special afternoon prayer service. On December 9, Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar and priests welcomed the Buddhist president, state officials, armed forces commanders, parliamentarians and around 500 Tamils who were brought from nearby refugee camps and villages. According to church sources, the visit was arranged on short notice at the request of the presidential secretariat in Colombo.The northern shrine can attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims for major Marian feasts. It is popular even among Buddhists and Hindus owing to healing powers attributed to the statue of Our Lady of Madhu enshrined in the 17th-century church. Soon after the service, the military returned the Tamils, who had been displaced as a result of the decades-long civil war in the country. According to Bishop Rayappu, the resettlement and rehabilitation of refugees was not discussed during the visit since the government has pledged to complete the resettlement of 130,000 refugees before the end of January. Already about 170,000 Tamil refugees placed in government-run camps have been released. Instead, Rajapaksa discussed with the bishop and priests issues such as the development of the shrine and the government allowing more pilgrims to visit on weekdays. "The president agreed in principle to improve facilities for pilgrims, and provide a proper water supply to shrine," the bishop said. The president also pledged to do everything possible to settle misunderstandings between Tamil and Sinhalese communities and to re-establish democracy, peace and unity, according to state officials.