Sustainable Peace & Justice (SP&J)

The Social Justice and Sustainable Peace Unit emphasizes on work towards promoting peace processes, social cohesion and an all-inclusive society to the nation at large. In the context of the present instability in the country due to heightened tension between races and political unworthiness, reliable processes of peace and conflict mitigation is of great importance. Caritas Sri Lanka has recognized the above and has assembled vast sums of resources through 4 major projects, to be a guiding light towards empowering the people of Sri Lanka across all religions and races, to bring back human dignity, encourage human life and contribute to establish Gospel values. The Social Justice and Sustainable Peace Unit works through 1. Religious Amity 2. Healing and Reconciliation, 3. Helping People move towards Reconciliation and 4. AGIAMONDO Peace Initiatives to fortify the Unit’s goal to “create a conducive atmosphere for a just and violence free society where people will be living in peace and harmony by respecting the diverse natures of different ethnic and religious groups and their cultures”

Bridging Hearts and Cultures: Jaffna DC Youth’s Heartwarming Visit to Chilaw DC

In a world often overshadowed by discord and division, a heartening tale of unity and understanding emerged as a group of vibrant youth of the Jaffna Peninsula embarked on a life-altering journey to Caritas Chilaw under the ongoing”Peace Building Project” funded by MISEREOR Germany. This soul-stirring exposure visit to Chilaw took place from November 3rd

Religious Amity Training Modules Launching: “A Step Towards Unity and Peace”

In an inspiring event was held on October 27, 2023, at the CSL Auditorium, the launching of  Religious Amity Training Modules Book. This significant event was made possible through the collaborative efforts of CSL (Caritas Sri Lanka) and Caritas Colombo Seth Sarana. The event was commenced with a common prayer about love, led by Fr.

An Innovative Approach to Addressing Social Conflicts

Forum theatre is an excellent tool for exposing and addressing the diverse conflicts that persist within society. This innovative theatrical technique offers a platform to explore, engage with, and ultimately seek solutions to complex social issues. By bringing these conflicts to the forefront, in a safe and creative space, forum theatre enables individuals to better

A STUDY SESSION ON THE 13TH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION

Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC organized a study session on the 13th amendment to the constitution on, which was conducted by Mr. Suren Gnanaraj, Counsel – Attorney-at-Law with the participation of Rev. Fathers and Catholic Nuns representing different congregations. The program was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Bennette Mellawa, Director- Caritas Anuradhapura who highlighted during the

INDUCTION OF WELCOMING NEW NATIONAL DIRECTOR AND BIDDING FAREWELL TO OUTGOING NATIONAL DIRECTOR REV.FR. MAHENDRA GUNATILLEKE OF CARITAS SRI LANKA – SEDEC

Rev. Father Mahendra Gunatilleke was ordained to Catholic Priesthood on 25th July 1992 in the Arch Diocese of Colombo. Since then, he had served at many parishes. He also served as the director and editor of the messenger newspaper at the Catholic press in Colombo. At the plenary meeting held by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference

Where have all the flowers gone?

We are a generation in this country who have been witnessing unending uprisings, upheavals, and horror that havocked our beloved nation. We have lost thousands of our brethren in somebody else’s ideology that led to hypocrisy, tyranny and terror. Our brethren who sacrificed their lives would have never thought that their endeavors – the reform

Caritas Sri Lanka Stands in Solidarity with People in this time of Unprecedented Economic Crisis

Sri Lanka, a country that suffered a recent genocide (2019 Easter Terror Attack), two major youth insurrections, and a 30 years of civil war, is now facing an unprecedented set of economic challenges. The causes of the present economic crisis are primarily attributed to the collapse of revenues generated from tourism that was completely deterred

Revitalization of Interreligious Dialogue in the light Encyclicals: Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti.

Sustaining interreligious dialogue in a persuasive manner has been a pressing need of the time. Examining the trends of interreligious dialogue requires continuous review, learning, and reflection. Hence, Caritas Sri Lanka in consultation with the Secretariat of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue convened a lecture and experts’ discussion, on 23rd January 2022, on

Jaffna Forum – A Dialogue on the UNHRC Resolution, Accountability for Rights Violations and Reconciliation in Context of the Ethnic Conflict

Caritas Sri Lanka, the social arm of the Catholic Church has been instrumental in promoting sustained relationships through justice, peace & reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Our initiatives have focused on ensuring greater inclusion of vulnerable communities in social, political and economic life; access to quality basic services; freedom without exploitative practices; ability to voice their

We celebrate the anniversary of our confederation

Caritas Internationalis celebrate its 70th Anniversary today, and it has passed seven decades since the constituent assembly of Confederation met in Rome from 12 to 14 December 1951. During the early years there were only 14 caritas members in the confederation while today there are 162 operating in 200 countries and territories. Since its inception,

Virtual Workshop on “Challenges of Climate Change and the role of Religious leaders to mitigate them’.

Caritas Sri Lanka is an organization which reaches out to uplift the lives of people in a holistic approach. We are concerned about the financial, social, psychological and spiritual aspect of every individual we serve and right now it is an urgent need to respond to the cry of the planet which is being destroyed

A Journey of Friendship from South to the North; carrying gifts of green; a project to plant 1500 saplings in Jaffna

A recent revelation in Jaffna to restore lost friendship between the north-south, Sinhala-Tamil communities during the thirty years of war and to maintain the peace that has been won took place with the launching of a Tree Planting Campaign initiated by Caritas Sri Lanka, the social arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka.

Caritas’ Orientation towards Free & Fair Elections

Based on the Position Paper prepared and circulated by Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC to guide the public on the importance of electing the right candidates as members of the new Parliament, Caritas’ Diocesan Centers Island wide have organized several awareness programs and panel discussions to educate voters.  Some of these sessions involved the local

POSITION PAPER OF CARITAS SRI LANKA – SEDEC IN VIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS – 2020

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On 10 June 2020, Election Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya confirmed that the postponed parliamentary elections will be held on 5 August 2020 with strict health measures and guidelines. Out of the total population of 22 million, 16.2 million are eligible to cast their vote to elect 225 members for the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Caritas Sri Lanka –

PEACE BUILDING TRAINING WORKSHOP AT GNANODAYAM, MANNAR.

‘Claretian Peacebuilding Initiatives–Sri Lanka’ (CPISL) organized a week-long ‘Peace Building Training Workshop’ at Gnanodayam, Mannar from 25th to 30th November, 2019. Caritas Sri Lanka-SEDEC was represented as well as like-minded organizations such as National Peace Centre, Centre for Communications Training, SJV Chelvanayakam Memorial Trust etc. In total 30 participants attended the well laid-out sessions conducted

A gathering of Sunday School Teachers representing all religious faiths

Caritas Sethsaviya Anuradhapura organized the first gathering of Sunday School Teachers representing Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu and Muslim Communities on 10th and 11th of November 2019.  More than 50 Sunday School Teachers gathered to discuss and explore the possibilities of mutual cooperation, empowering personal spirituality and reflected on what would be the best way to pass

Caritas Sri Lanka involves in Election Monitoring for the Presidential Election – 2019

Caritas diocesan directors and accountants from Jaffna, Batticaloa, Mannar, Trincomalee and Vanni attended the  ‘District Coordinators’ Meeting’ organized by PAFFERL which was held on 1st November 2019 at Renuka City Hotel, Colombo 3.  The objective of the meeting was to explain the duties and responsibilities to officials who will be involved in Presidential election monitoring.

Training Programme on ‘Youth for Ethnic and Religious Harmony through Social Media’

A five day Training Programme was held at Caritas Centre in Chilaw under the ‘Expansion of Religious Amity Programme 2019 – Enhanced Youth Participation’ from 28th October to 01st November, 2019. The theme of the training programme was ‘Youth for Ethnic and Religious Harmony through Social Media’ where 58 enthusiastic youth from Chilaw, Colombo and