Bishop calls for compassionate inclusivity

Colombo’s Anglican Bishop Rt. Revd. Duleep de Chickera has called on the government and the LTTE to resume peace negotiations, the strengthening of trust between Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim, the recognition and affirmation of the forgotten, smaller, ethnic communities in our midst, and reconciliation between victim and oppressor, exploited and exploiter. In a Christmas message he urged the leaders and the people to take note of the Christmas message and be transformed and transform our beloved Sri Lanka into a land of peace where violence, corruption, discrimination and fear will be a thing of the past.

The Bishop said:“Christmas, the festival that celebrates the birth of Christ has been largely misunderstood over the years. Today it mostly suggests festivity and self-indulgence with some peripheral sharing and giving. This popular emphasis does little to change people and relationships for the better, and is limited to a few days known as the "season ".

The essence of the Christmas story is that God becomes a human and reconciles estranged humans, to demonstrate the value of humanity and call humans to live in reconciled, just, and integrated community. This is the Biblical understanding of peace.

Consequently Christmas calls for a radical shift in our world-view if we too want peace. Because God became human and lives amongst humans, humans are to see the face of God in "the other" and strive towards a truly human community. In a nutshell, Christmas is the call to compassionate inclusivity.