Colombo, Sri Lanka, Dec 6, 2011 / 16:19 pm
Catholics in Sri Lanka are boycotting the government over the detention of four Missionaries of Charity who were accused of child trafficking by an anonymous caller.
“I asked the sisters about the accusations against them and they were clear in their response that they have never sold a child nor given a child up in adoption without following the appropriate legal procedures,” said Cardinal Malcom Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo.
He called the accusations against the sisters “lies” and urged local members of the faith to not participate in any activities organized by the government during the month of December.
Cardinal Ranjith also criticized police for entering the sisters’ convent on Nov. 23 on orders from the National Authority for the Protection of Children. They detained the superior, Sister Mary Eliza, who was later released on bail.
The cardinal defended the work of the sisters and noted that the Missionaries of Charity, “unlike other organizations” that promote abortion, help children “to be born and to have a life of dignity.”
He noted that Christian organizations in southern Asia are often pressured by governments and accused of “proselytism.”
In Sri Lanka, 70 percent of the population is Buddhist, 15 percent is Hindu and the remaining 15 percent is Christian, Muslim and other religions.
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