Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug 7, 2008 / 13:54 pm
A popular annual festival at a historic Catholic church near the front lines of Sri Lanka’s civil war has been canceled because the government and Tamil rebels will not recognize the area as a peace zone.
The church of Our Lady of Madhu is centuries old and normally houses a revered 400-year-old statue of Mary. Located in the town of Madhu about 130 miles north of Colombo, it attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every August who come to see the statue, which is believed to have miraculous powers.
Church officials said the event has been canceled because of safety concerns, the Associated Press says.
“We do not expect therefore pilgrims this time at Madhu,” Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph said in a statement.