Features
Popes and Cardinals
(Excerpted from Selected Journalism by HAJ Hulugalle)
The enthusiasm generated by the election of a new Pope may give the impression that the 500 million Roman Catholics – sometimes derisively called Papists – are a separate species of human beings. That is not the impression I carried away, after a stay of over five years in Rome. Roman Catholics are, I am certain, like the rest of us, capable of all the follies to which human frailty exposes men and women.
The Pope does not dictate the policies of governments; not even those of the Government of Italy which, in recent times has been successively totalitarian, conservative, middle-of – the-road, and left of center.
The Pope himself can be a liberal or a conservative, as the history of the papacy has shown. Pope John was hailed by Mr. Khrushchev, who is very discriminating in these matters, as a man of peace. The new Pope is generally regarded as a progressive. deeply interested in social reform. My impression gained in Rome, is that the Catholic Church expects, indeed insists upon, its members taking their religion seriously, and the Pope is the pastor of the flock under God’s guidance.
There are two large statues of St. Peter and St. Paul in the square of the great Basilica of the Vatican. St. Peter was crucified, not a hundred yards from where these statues stand. It is of interest to note that this happened in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, about the time when, according to Pliny, the Roman historian, three ambassadors from Ceylon visited Rome. St. Paul, too, died in Rome. Since then Rome has been the heart of Christendom.
Though my dealings were with the Italian government, I had many contacts with the hierarchy of the Church. It so happened that I was living in Rome, at an important moment in the history of the Church. I hope you will pardon me if I now draw on a few personal experiences. I was in the square outside the Pope’s summer palace in Castel Gandolfo, a few miles from Rome, when Pius XII was dying, ending a reign of 19 years. I stood with the crowd when his body was taken in solemn procession through the streets of the city to the Vatican, and I was Ceylon’s representative at the funeral.
I was among the many thousands present in St. Peter’s Square when the white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel announced the election of a new Pope, after three days of inconclusive voting. I was present when Cardinal Canali appeared in the balcony of the basilica and announced that a new Pope had been elected, and that his name would be John XXIII. I was also Ceylon’s representative at the coronation of the new Pope. A few days later, he received the Commonwealth representatives and had a short conversation with each one of us.
During four years, I saw Pius XII on many occasions. I often accompanied Ministers and other VIP’s from Ceylon who wished to see the Pope and receive his blessing. He was a saintly man, somewhat aloof, but with a strong personality. He spoke several languages, one of which was English. I liked above all the public audiences at Castel Gandolfo where he spoke from an upper floor to his listeners congregated in the cortile, what in Sinhalese we would call the ‘Meda Midula’.
The universality of the Church is never felt more than at these public audiences. Men from every nation on earth and, it must be added, from every religion, are usually present. Also on the steps of St. Peter’s, on any Sunday morning, you can be sure of seeing men and women from all parts of the world. I rarely failed to meet one or more Ceylonese whenever I was there on a Sunday morning at any time of the year. They were not always Christians.
Shortly after I arrived in Rome, Monsignor Montini was consecrated Archbishop of Milan, in succession to Cardinal Schuster, who had played a difficult and heroic part during the German occupation and the last days of Mussolini. Montini’s influence was felt both in and outside the Vatican after he left Rome. He had been one of the two Secretaries who assisted Pius XII, the other being Monsignor Tardini.
Pius XII had not appointed a Cardinal Secretary of State since the death of Cardinal Maglione in 1944, and preferred to direct the affairs of the Church personally, rather than nominate a Secretary of State who, in the Vatican government, is Foreign Minister. For the next 10 years Montini was both Prime Minister and the closest associate of Pius XII. It is recorded that both Montini and Tardini refused to be made Cardinals at the consistory of 1953, saying that they preferred to work by the side of the Pope.
There was, however, much speculation when Montini was appointed Archbishop of Milan, the great industrial city of northern Italy, with its powerful trade unions and Communist cells. “He is my gift to Milan”, the Pope had said.
Montini and Tardini had worked in great harmony but they were two different types. Tardini, who continued in the Vatican Secretariat until his death two or three years ago, was a cheerful Neapolitan, cracking jokes and speaking his mind, and slow to make innovations. Montini was a northerner, an intellectual, soft-spoken and deliberate, an accomplished diplomat. He was not afraid of change and had a brother in the progressive wing of the Christian Democrat Party.
Mrs Hulugalle with the diplomatic community being received by the Holy Father
It is not usual for a Secretary of State to succeed a Pope under whom he has served. Pacelli, who became Pius XII, was an exception. When Montini was made Archbishop of Milan, there were many who said that, in making the appointment, the Pope showed that he expected Montini to succeed him. Strictly speaking no Pope can nominate his successor. But it was expected that, when Montini was made a Cardinal, in due course and given the red hat, he would be papabile – that is, capable of being made Pope. But when Pius XII died Monsignor Montini was still without a red hat. He had not become a Cardinal. All Popes since Urban XI elected in 1378, however, have been Cardinals. Thus, Montini was not papabile after all.
It may be said that God works in a mysterious way to achieve his purposes. The papacy of John XXIII was interposed between those of Pacelli (i.e. Pius XII) and Montini (now Paul VI), the two men who had worked so closely together for 10 years. Pope John was 77 when he was elected and it was expected that his papacy would be one of transition. But in fact it was a historical interlude – if interlude it can be called – with far-reaching implications and consequences.
Montini’s name appeared at the head of the list of Cardinals created by John XXIII. When a Pope dies he sometimes leaves two or three names in a sealed envelope to his successor containing the names of persons he had intended to appoint to the Sacred College. They are the Cardinals in “petto”- in his breast. It may be that Montini was a Cardinal “in petto” at the time of the death of Pius XII.
Montini’s home town of Brescia is in the north of Italy, near the beautiful Lake Garda. Bergamo, the nearest town to Pope John’s home, is about equidistant from Brescia and Milan. But the background of the present Pope (Paul VI) is different from that of his predecessor, though both had what perhaps Pius XII lacked, and that is, the common touch.
Montini’s early friends included the unconventional and saintly Mayor of Florence, Giorgio La Pira – whom I knew well, Father Dossetti, a mystic and well known social reformer, and the former Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani.
So much has been written, and will be written about the new Pope, that it seems unnecessary for me to try to say more about him.. Let me, for a moment, take you back to the coronation of John XXIII four and a half years ago.
One would be tempted to call the coronation of the Pope the Greatest Show on Earth were the description not too trite and were it not a solemn and sacred ceremony. As a special representative I had a close view of the proceedings but this is of course not the place or time to describe it. Princes of royal blood, Presidents and Prime Ministers of Catholic countries, Foreign Ministers like Mr. Foster Dulles of America, and the Catholic Duke of Norfolk were among the official representatives.
I can recall the faces of the Cardinals, starting from Siri of Genoa in his early fifties, to Rodriguesz of Santiago, Chile in his nineties. A very few of them, like Cardinal Canali, came from aristocratic families.
The papacy is no longer the monopoly of the aristocracy as it was in the Middle Ages. Pius X the former Cardinal Sarto and John XXIII came from simple peasant families. Pope John is said to have made the joke that there are three ways of losing money: wine, women and agriculture; and that his father chose the dullest way of the three. It is more likely that the joke was made up by Romans for they are given to making jests about their Popes.
Personally, I cannot deplore the rich Mediaeval Popes. Much of the beauty of Rome, Florence and other historic Italian cities, is the result of their culture and munificence. The Popes of recent times are no doubt more spiritual but the Renaissance Popes were more magnificent patrons of art and learning.
I know my way about Rome as well as any man, and I speak from first-hand knowledge. For five years I lived on the periphery of the Borghese Gardens, one of the loveliest features in the city. It owed its existence to Pope Paul V, a member of the Borghese family. Not hundred yards from our house was the country residence of Julius III, who was born in 1550. It is an architectural gem in a fine state of preservation. The Medici palace in Rome is now the French Academy, the Farnese houses the French Embassy.
The palaces of the Colonnas, the Dorias, Orsini, Corsini, Barberini, Ruspoli, Odescalchi and Aldobrandini families contained fine collections of paintings and sculpture to which the public have access. The Chigi Palace now houses the offices of the Prime Minister of Italy and his staff. The hills round Rome, the Critelli Romani as they are called, contained many beautiful country houses or villas of the nobility which contributed their quota of Cardinals and one or more Popes.
As I was observing the solemn and beautiful coronation ceremony at St. Peter’s in Rome, I said to myself that never again will a Pope be elected simply because he came from a noble and influential family. He could come from the lesser nobility like Pacelli, from the peasantry like Roncalli or be the son of a newspaper editor like Montini. But he must have the piety and personality which mark him out from his peers for the leadership of five hundred million souls.
(This article was first published in July, 1963)
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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