Cardinal Ranjith, the godsend!

By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana

Popularity of Pohottuwa is plummeting due to scoring own goals! Indecision seems to reign supreme and even minor problems are allowed to develop into major issues; the denial of burial of Covid-19 victims being the best example. One would have expected the elected Opposition to capitalise on this unexpected bonus but it seems to be behaving like a headless chicken. Sajith continues to provide more entertainment than substance in his speeches. He is apparently second only to Maithri. Those Buddhist priests who are more interested in politics than religion are attacking the government because they feel the government is not doing what they want. They do not seem to care what the country needs. A trade union leader in robes said: “They can throw stones but we will not allow them to pick up fruits!”

In this pathetic scenario, fortunately, there is one voice of reason speaking sense and displaying consistency of purpose. When his message falls on deaf ears, he does not hesitate to move the judiciary. It looks as if he were the ‘unofficial’ leader of the Opposition! This godsend, obviously, is Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.

The Cardinal stood for fairness and common sense long before that traumatic episode, where terrorists targeted his flock. When Mangala Samaraweera declared that Sri Lanka was not a Sinhala Buddhist country, the head of the Catholic Church disagreed openly, pointing out that it was because of Buddhist traditions that minorities were free to practise their religions without any hindrance.

Interestingly, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith’s recent actions have shown that he is not only defending his faith but that of Buddhism as well. He is fighting against unethical conversions.

In a piece titled “Spread of evangelical groups causes alarm in Sri Lanka”, the Union of Catholic Asian News states: “Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo has called on the government to regulate all members of extremist groups posing as pastors and to check their sources of income. He said the Catholic Church, led by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka, had nothing to do with these pastors and their activities. Cardinal Ranjith issued a special statement on Feb. 11 explaining the Church’s position on conversion and said a group of so-called pastors were carrying out extremist activities targeting veteran artistes, athletes and businessmen in the country.”

The statement further highlights the following in the Cardinal’s statement: “The Church has a clear administrative structure. But there is no system in the country to regulate these pastors, there is no discipline, no transparency. This directly affects the religious organizations in the country and this would affect religious harmony. I declare to my Buddhist brothers and sisters that the Roman Catholic Church has no affiliation with such extremist religious organizations.” 

Leaving aside foolish artistes, one who claimed that her tiredness was cured and another who claimed his voice returned thanks to their conversions, the more important cause for concern is cricket; a game which we once had a great reputation for. When allegations are made that decisions were influenced by these extremist activities (not my words but that of the Cardinal), the government needs to conduct investigations and take action, as requested by the Cardinal.

A Buddhist priest known to me remarked,”Where are our Maha Nayakas? How lucky we have a Catholic Cardinal who defends us.” Well, politicians from minorities can take a cue from the Cardinal and learn how true reconciliation can be brought about!

Easter Sunday attacks were ghastly, to say the least. It is pretty obvious that the masterminds are not the ones who carried them out. Unfortunately, the impression created by the actions of the government is that it is ready to do anything to attract some errant politicians to retain its two-thirds majority. It is because of these suspicions that the Cardinal is carrying on with an unrelenting campaign to have the truth got at and justice served.

We suffered for nearly three decades at the hands of one terrorist group, and we cannot afford to take a chance with another. Therefore, it is the bounden duty of every peace-loving Sri Lankan to support the Cardinal’s efforts. We should not rest till justice prevails and terrorism is eradicated in all its forms and manifestations.

The Cardinal’s latest battle, through courts, is to solve the mystery of 6,000 swords, of which only 600 are accounted for apparently. The imagination of terrorists is well beyond our comprehension. What would happen if a few terrorists got on to the streets beheading people with swords?

The Cardinal is a true patriot.