December 17, 201 3- Sri Lanka "must nurture the values of forgiveness and reconciliation"
as exemplified and promoted by Nelson Mandela, said Buddhist, Catholic, Christian
and Hindu leaders from the Inter-Religious Peace Foundation (IRPF) at a special ceremony
held last Wednesday in honour of the late leader and first post-Apartheid president
of South Africa. The event was held at the South African High Commission (Embassy)
in Colombo and was Sri Lanka's way to pay tribute to Mandela. Many lay people from
different religions also attended the gathering to honour Mandela with a special prayer.
IRPF member Fr Reid Shelton Fernando noted that as more than 90 world leaders gathered
for a memorial service in Johannesburg on Dec. 10, the handshake between rivals US
President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro stood out as one of the highlights.
He said, "This is a symbol of the positive impact of Mandela's life," which embodied
the values of "forgiveness, peace, reconciliation, justice and lack of revenge against
one's enemies." (Source: AsiaNews)