28th February 2013 08:25 AM
Rev
Dr Savundaranayagam said that pilgrims “should not be stopped at all”. | EPS
Rt
Rev Dr Thomas Savundaranayagam, the Bishop of Jaffna, has categorically opposed
attempts by several Tamil nationalist groups in Tamil Nadu to prevent Sri
Lankan pilgrims from visiting Catholic shrines in that State.
Asked
to comment on the incident last Sunday when the Tamil Nadu police turned back
70 Lankan pilgrims even before they reached the Annai Velankanni shrine fearing
violence by Tamil nationalist groups, Dr Savundaranayagam said that pilgrims
“should not be stopped at all”.
“Lankan
Catholics, whether Tamil or Sinhalese, are very much devoted to Annai
Velankanni. They make vows to the deity. They should not be prevented from
fulfilling their vows,” he told Express on Wednesday.
Violation
of Rights
Fr
Cyril Gamini, spokesman of the acting Bishop of Colombo, Fr Emmanuel Fernando,
said that stopping pilgrims from going to a place of worship was an “undemocratic
act and a violation of a human right”.
“One
of the yardsticks for judging the state of democracy and human rights in a
country is the existence or non-existence of the freedom of worship for all
communities,” he explained.
“While
we do not believe that the government of Tamil Nadu is behind these acts of
violence, it is responsible for giving protection to pilgrims. After all,
pilgrims do not go to Tamil Nadu for any purpose other than offering worship at
its shrines,” Fr Gamini said.
Asked
if such incidents would prevent Lankans from visiting shrines in Tamil Nadu, he
said that they would not. “The incidents have been sporadic. Our people have
been going despite past incidents of violence and will continue to go,” he
affirmed.
