Sri Lanka Church to boycott state ceremonies in protest against nun’s arrest

(December 05, 2011) The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka will boycott all government functions over Christmas in protest against the arrest of a nun on child trafficking charges. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo held a press conference in the capital on Saturday declaring he and other Church officials would not participate in government-sponsored events during the current festive season. The cardinal who is the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka said the Church strongly condemned the arrest of Sister Mary Eliza, an Indian nun serving at Prem Nivasa orphanage in Moratuwa, near Colombo, that also provides shelter for abandoned single pregnant women. Sri Lanka Church’s first official Church statement since the November 25 arrest of St. Eliza was long overdue. The nun was released on bail on Nov. 28. “What I have to say is that there are several groundless accusations levelled without properly investigating or finding the truth about the services of these Sisters,” the cardinal told reporters. “Our reaction to this is to stay away from any state functions or state-organized event this Christmas, until this matter is sorted out,” the Cardinal said. He said the arrest by the police and the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) officials was purely based on an anonymous telephone call without any foundation of proof. While condemning the adverse publicity in the media following the arrest, Cardinal Ranjith commended the tremendous support given to very vulnerable people by the nuns from different nations who serve at Prem Nivasa.