Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug 17, 2009 / 22:55 pm
On the Feast of the Assumption, hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan Catholics were able to finally make the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, following the end of the country’s 30-year civil war. They were told to put away hatred and division in order to build peace.
Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith welcomed a crowd of 500,000 pilgrims to the shrine, where they took part in a Festive Eucharistic Celebration, after having endured the long trek through the battle-scarred countryside. The huge throng of pilgrims stood in stark contrast to the trickle of faithful who arrived between 1999 and 2008, when government forces battled with the Tamil Tiger rebels for control of the northern part of Sri Lanka.
“Divisions, hatred and suspicion among us must be over now,” the archbishop said, according to the Archdiocese of Colombo. “Divisions among us have caused the blood to flow in North as well as in the South. Never take up arms again and fight against your brother or sister. Thoughts of hatred must be cleansed from your hearts now and allow the Lord to fill your hearts with peace and forgiveness. May the peace that you share today in the Holy Eucharist flow into your families, work places, parishes and into your villages.”
“It is a blessed moment and day, that we come to Madhu Shrine, after the 30 years long war is over, which destroyed the lives of the people and the country,” Archbishop Ranjith continued. “It is in this environment all people belonging to different nationalities have gathered here today. From the days we remember, we came to Madhu Shrine without being conscious of our nationality, language or religion,” he said, citing the 400 year-old tradition of visiting the church.