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New Archbishop of Colombo and Metropolitan
Bishop Oswald Gomis, a prelate well known and widely respected for identifying with the culture, traditions and simple life style of Sri Lanka was yesterday appointed as Archbishop of Colombo and Metropolitan of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. He succeeds the veteran Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando who simultaneously announced his resignation yesterday soon after completing the silver jubilee of his Episcopal ordination as chief pastor of Sri Lanka's largest diocese.

The Vatican Ambassador Archbishop Thomas Yeh went to the sacred city of Anuradhapura yesterday to meet the new Archbishop and officially announce the appointment made by Pope John Paul ll.

Archbishop Gomis, who is 69 years old had earlier been the Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo from the time of the late Cardinal Cooray, till he was appointed as Bishop of Anuradhapura. Archbishop Gomis has been in the forefront of the post-Vatican 2 inculturation process essentially to build an indigenous Catholic Church of Sri Lanka in line with the culture, tradition, civilization and lifestyle of the country.

Throughout his ministry of service and especially while at Anuradhapura the Archbishop has initiated and fostered close ties with Sri Lanka's other major religions and is known to have a deep relationship with the country's top Buddhist prelates. Besides art and culture he has taken dynamic initiatives in areas such as bio-farming and environmental protection.

Currently he is also the president of the Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka. Church sources said Archbishop Gomis trusted by the majority community as a person who has deep love for the motherland would be able to play a major role in bringing about unity and harmony to restore peace in the country.

The Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka in a statement issued yesterday said the new Archbishop would also be the Metropolitan of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka comprising 11 dioceses ranging from Jaffna in the north to Galle in the south. He will formally take over the Colombo Archdiocese at an installation ceremony to be held at St. Lucia's Cathedral, Kotahena on July 27.

"The new archbishop returns to Colombo with a wealth of experience as a spiritual leader and administrator. He brings to Colombo valuable expertise as a scholar, educationist, historian, author and above all, a revered pastor" the Bishop's Conference said.

The son of Vincent and Florinda Gomis of Kelaniya, Oswald Gomis grew up in the shadow of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara. He still continues to be a regular visitor there.

Oswald Gomis who joined the seminary after academic studies at St. Joseph's College, Colombo, completed his priestly training at St. Bernard's Seminary, Borella, and the National Seminary, Kandy. He later did a Master's Degree in education at Adamson University in the Philippines, and Taiwan-based Fu Jen Catholic University awarded him a Ph.D. for his outstanding contribution to Church communication in Asia.

Radio Veritas Asia, the Manila-based Catholic station which broadcasts in 14 languages, survives today because of the Sri Lankan prelate's timely intervention in raising funds for the station and reviewing operational policies.

A former editor of "Gnanartha Pradeepaya", the Catholic weekly and manager of the Colombo Catholic Press, he launched three series of books "Pahan Poth," "Pradeepa Poth" and "Minipahan" which led to a revival of Catholic literature producing some 50 titles that ran into several editions.

The new archbishop has written about a dozen Catholic books and is a regular contributor to print media in both Sinhala and English. The bishop who does not shun controversy when it comes to presenting the Church's position on social and moral issues, is a much sought after speaker on radio and television.

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