News
Rector says he was not contacted; but that’s not so
Responding to a news report headlined ‘St. Joseph’s College Rector transferred to Aquinas’, published in the Sunday Times of January 12, the Rector, Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe, has sent the following reply.
“I write in reference to an article published in the ‘Sunday Times’ 0f January 12. The article is obviously damaging to my good name and reputation and it has damaged the reputation of the College, a College which has set benchmark standards in Catholic education over the past 117 years.
“It is rather strange that the writer of that article did not have the common courtesy to contact me and get my side of the story in which I have been vilified to such an extent.
“Had the writer contacted me, I would have explained my position which would have been identical to that which appeared in the ‘Catholic Messenger’ of January 26, the official organ of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, wherein His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith categorically states thus: ‘In doing so the transfer of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe to the Aquinas University College was done in consideration of his eminent suitability for such work, with his long years of service and laudable performance in the education sector.’
“The article infers that there was monetary misappropriation. The Cardinal has made it abundantly clear by stating: ‘No other motive can be attributed to this’, referring to the transfer. He goes on to elaborate stating, ‘I need to set out that a Commission had been initiated with regard to 51 allegations made against Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe, by some Old Boys of the OBU of the College. These include inter alia financial misappropriation.’
“The Commission has not found the Rector guilty of any of those allegations levelled against him. Now comes the sentence which puts to rest the malicious intentions of whoever fed the story to your reporter and the gullibility of the reporter or his bravado of ‘Publish and be damned’. The sentence reads, ‘In the circumstances, I am completely satisfied with the honesty and integrity of Rev. Fr. Sylvester.’
“The Cardinal finally states, ‘Moreover, Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe was Rector of St. Joseph’s College for a period of eight years during which time he rendered commendable service to St. Joseph’s College and brought it to a very high level of education and extra-curricular excellence in every field.’
“I trust you will recognise that the article published in your issue of January 12 has done irreparable damage to me and that you will give this article the same prominence which is a matter of asking for justice.”
Note by the News Desk:
It must be stated emphatically that the reporter referred to above made every effort to contact Rev. Fr. Sylvester Ranasinghe several times on his official number prior to the writing of the article, only to be advised by his male Secretary (who claimed to be a former journalist) that, “There would be no comment”. That is on record, and we would justifiably assume that such a statement would have only been made by the Rector’s Secretary after consulting the Rector and acted on his instructions unless the Secretary was arrogating to himself the role of spokesman for the Rector.
Either way, for the Rector who has taken three weeks to say that no attempt was made to contact him for his version, is an untruth.
Furthermore, on yet another occasion when a call was placed to reach him, the female operator transferred the call after which the line went dead.
The News Desk wishes to add that we are in possession of material detrimental to the Rector, independently verified. This was not published in the larger interest of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo irrespective of what His Eminence the Cardinal may have had to say.