Catholic Church will be peacemaker: Archbishop

Colombo’s Archbishop The Rt. Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis has pledged that the Roman Catholic Church is fully committed to its mission of bringing about reconciliation and unity among all the people and all races in Sri Lanka.

In a Christmas message he said: Once again we celebrate Christmas at the time when the dark clouds of war are enveloping our country. As we sing and rejoice in some parts of the country there is bitter suffering and agony in others. Apart from the war there are other factors that disturb the normalcy of life and even threaten the life of citizens. There are thousands still left homeless and forced by circumstances to flee into the jungles. Children are deprived of education and many others are displaced from their homes and work places.

While all this should not deprive us from celebrating the feast of Christmas reasonably commemorating the birth of Jesus, our celebration should not simply be the commemoration of a historic event nor should it be just the celebration of a birth. It should rather be a renewal of our commitment to Jesus Christ and to His mission on earth.

The mission of Jesus was that of reconciliation. He was on earth to reconcile God and man and man and man. To this effect He showed us that our God is a kind and sympathetic Father. He also showed that all of us, irrespective of our colour, creed, caste or any other consideration are brothers and sisters of one another. As such love should be the guiding principle of all human beings. He proved his conviction by laying down his life not only for his friends but also for his enemies. Thus, especially those of us who profess to be Christians cannot forget our role as men and women committed to bring about reconciliation where there is strife and dissension.