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» 01/29/2011 10:36
SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka: Religious leaders condemn attack on Buddhist Maha Bodhi Temple
by Melani Manel Perera
On the night of 24 January a group of about 10 people stormed the Maha Bodhi Society
temple. Armed with sticks, vandals began to destroy the place, and wounded four monks
who intervened to stop them.
Card. Malcolm Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, has expressed his concern over the
attack in saying: "The Catholic Church strongly opposes such acts like this."
For Acting Committee member, the venerable Nedagamuwe Vijitha Maithree Thero, this
is "an act done by those who do not want peace, who do not see the beautiful brotherhood
between the two religions. For this we need to act calmly and not give in to panic".
Another monaco, Ven. Dhammaransi Thero, declared: "We ask the governments of Sri
Lanka and India to continue to be interested in the problem, and take the necessary
measures to ensure full security and protection for all the pilgrims who visit the temple."
Finally, the monk thanked the Indian government for the prompt action taken to protect
pilgrims after the attack.
The Methodist pastor Fr Sarath Hettiarchchi stressed that Sri Lanka is a multiethnic,
multi-religious and even multi-political country, where everyone should respect each
other.