Sri Lanka: Government launches plan for historic churches and places of worship

(April 07, 2011) The Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Sri Lanka has approved a program to restore the historical places of worship, including churches. T.B. Ekanayake, the Minister for Culture and Environment announced the move on Tuesday to Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo. During the meeting with the Minister Cardinal Ranjith said "As the ministry has decided to preserve historic places of worship, on our part it is necessary to protect the different religious cultures, which like the Catholic Church have made a great contribution to the culture of this country. In particular, the prelate recalled support for Buddhist compatriots ahead of the forthcoming feast of Vesak, that celebrates Buddha’s birth and enlightenment.
Cardinal Ranjith urged the Minister to seek ways, not only to restore the churches of historical importance, but also to safeguard them. In particular, he mentioned the church of St. Anthony in Kachcha-tivu, about 70 km south-west of Jaffna. The sanctuary needs renovation, as it is located on an almost uninhabited island. It also does not the resources necessary to accommodate more than four thousand Indian pilgrims, who arrive each year for the feast of the patron. During the visit, Minister Ekanayake asked the cardinal to provide a list of churches that may fall within the project. In turn, Card. Ranjith advised him to write to the Sri Lankan Bishops' Conference to inform the other bishops of the initiative.