wfn.org | Church of England clergy wanted for war-torn Sri Lanka

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Church of England clergy wanted for war-torn Sri Lanka

Posted On : March 27, 2009 3:04 PM | Posted By : Webmaster
ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/3/27/ACNS4591
Related Categories: England  Sri Lanka

Clergy from the Church of England are being invited to provide respite
for Sri Lankan priests in the war-torn country.

CoE clergy will be asked to take over from Sri Lankan clergy in safe
regions, so that those clergy can provide respite for their countrymen
in conflict zones.

Lanka Nesiah, speaking on behalf of Bishop Duleep de Chickera, in the
Diocese of Colombo, explained: 'There is a great need to provide relief
to our clergy in the north and east. We will not place visiting clergy
in conflict areas or expose them to any kind of danger. Instead, Bishop
Duleep proposes to send some of our clergy from other parts of the
country to provide respite to clergy in the north and east.'

The Anglican mission agency USPG has offered to sponsor volunteer clergy
from the Church of England to serve in Sri Lanka for periods of between
one and three months.

In 2005, USPG sponsored three Church of England clergy to provide
respite for Sri Lankan clergy in areas affected by the tsunami of Boxing
Day 2004.

Sri Lanka's Buddhist Singhalese government is currently attempting to
eliminate opposition from the so-called Tamil Tigers, who want an
independent Tamil state in north-east of the island.

The Church of Ceylon - which is the Anglican church in Sri Lanka -
includes people from both Sinhalese and Tamil communities. It is working
for peace and providing what support it can to those affected by the
fighting.

A missionary in Sri Lanka wrote this week that the Tamil Tigers have
been confined to a small area in the north-east of the country, where
they were hiding behind a 'human shield' of civilians, estimated
varyingly at between 80,000 and 200,000 people.

The missionary stated: 'The Sri Lankan army is continuing its offensive,
and intense fighting is reported. A Tamil Tigers request for a ceasefire
was considered 'hilarious' by the government newspaper. Meanwhile, a
remote Sinhalese village in the south was attacked this week by the
Tamil Tigers, and 13 civilians were killed.

'The true death toll of this war may never be known. Figures given by
the government usually tell of the army inflicting huge casualties on
the Tamil Tigers; there are rumours of lorries full of bodies. The need
to keep the true human cost of the war from the people, and to keep up
the morale of the army, partly explain the diminishing press freedom and
a deteriorating human rights record that is regularly criticised by
foreign governments.'

The Revd Jessie Anand, USPG's Regional Desk Officer for South Asia,
said: 'Sending clergy to partner churches is not a new mission for USPG.
By doing this, USPG is helping to raise a prophetic voice for affected
partner churches at the right time with the right people. This will in
turn bring Christ into the situation.'

Clergy interested in serving in Sri Lanka should contact the Revd Jessie
Anand on 020 7378 5669 or email jessiea@uspg.org.uk

Article from USPG:  http://www.uspg.org.uk/article.php?article_id=526

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