Caritas Sri Lanka - SEDEC

As part of the Caritas initiative to forge a National Dialogue on Reconciliation, SEDEC in association with the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies ( CHA) hosted a group of religious leaders for a discussion on 2nd December 2011 at its auditorium. The objective of the program was to create a platform for furthering the cause of peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka and to highlight the role of the religious leaders in the pursuit of this objective.

Welcoming the participants, Rev Fr George Sigamoney, National Director of Caritas Sri Lanka said that healing and reconciliation are the need of the hour in this post war situation. Many hearts still remain wounded after the crippling conflict which ended in a brutal war in 2009. "We need to be challenged by a common moral responsibility to heal the wounded hearts in our nation", Fr Sigamoney said, pointing out that religious leaders have a crucial role to play in this process. " We also need to work together to prevent future conflict", he told the religious leaders present, among whom were Rt Rev Dr Cletus Perera, Bishop of Ratnapura, Rev Ebenezer Joseph, General Secretary of the National Christian Council (NCC), Rev Fr Mervyn Fernando, Rev Fr Henry Silva, Rev Fr Leopold Ratnasekera OMI, Ven Prof Bellanwila Wimalaratne Nayake Thero, Ven Maduluwawe Sobitha Nayake Thero, Ven Brahmanawatte Sivali Nayaka Thero, Ash-Shaikh S H Adambawa and Siva Sri Ramachandran Babu Sharma Kurukkal.

CHA was represented by Dr Jeevan Thiagarajah, Executive Director who in his submission said that since all religions have laid down guidelines for human living, faith-based reconciliation holds out the best hope our country.

This dialogue session was arranged under the guidance of Mr Dhinush Jayasuriya, Head of the Social Justice and Sustainable Peace (SJ&SP) Unit in SEDEC.