Attack On Christians In SL Was An Example Of Hate Against Peace-Loving Christians
Mangaluru: It’s Only Been Two Years Since The Easter Sunday Bombings At Two Egyptian Coptic Christian Churches That Killed And Injured Dozens. Just A Few Years Before That, Christians In Nigeria Were Killed On Easter By A Suicide Bomb. Easter Is Supposed To Be A Time Of Celebration When Christians Around The World Gather To Proclaim That Christ Rose From The Grave. Instead, It Has Become An Anniversary Of Death. And The Recent Attacks On Christians, Especially Roman Catholics Is Yet Another Example Of Hate Against The Peace-Loving Christians.
St Sebastian Church- Negombo, Sri Lanka
Being in Sri Lanka (in Colombo and Negombo) for the First time in September 2018 for about six days, I very much liked the culture, diversity and traditions of the Buddhists, Muslims and Christians- each of them had their own way of life, and everyone got along good. But the recent attacks on Churches targeting Catholics has surprised the world, and I too was surprised. Even though Sri Lanka is a majority Buddhist country, followed next by the other largest religious groups of Hindus and Muslims- but the attacks on Easter Sunday targeting Christians, who make up roughly 7 percent of Sri Lanka’s population, is something hard to believe.
Well, the church St. Sebastian’s in Negombo- Sri Lanka which is also called Little Rome popularly, which is a very traditional, very culturally rich Catholic community on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka near Colombo- and I had visited this Church with Anthoney ( a restaurant owner in Negombo) near to the hotel where we had stayed; and I had also been to the Sunday Mass (23 September) at St Antony’s Shrine in Colombo- and I am very much sad to say that both these Churches were targeted by the terrorists. Sources reveal that large numbers of Catholics arrived in Sri Lanka centuries ago because of colonialism, and they were very integrated. And many people would say that at least in the initial decades after independence, Christians, particularly Catholics, were a privileged group. So there is no real contradiction seen between being Sri Lankan and being Catholic, as per reports.
And the terrorists picked the right day, to target Christians on Easter Sunday, during the most sacred day for Catholics and evangelical Christians, who constitute the majority of the Christian population, and many attend the religious ceremony at Church on Easter. So certainly they see it as something directed against them specifically as Christians within Sri Lanka. Being in Sri Lanka for a few days, I could differentiate between Catholics and others, even though people are very free, usually, in talking about their religious identity. And I saw Catholics wearing particular items like scapulars or miraculous medals that would indicate their affiliation. When it comes to worship at Church, however, women do veil. And if you go into churches like St. Sebastian’s or St. Anthony’s, there will be signs admonishing people to veil – women to veil. So there is a sense of distinctiveness, but it’s not the sense that Catholics are identifiable by particular clothing or forms of speech.
Being such a respected and peace-loving community I was really surprised because Christians are fairly well-integrated in Sri Lankan society. I heard that it’s a respected religious group. And apart from militant Buddhist extremists, Christians have not been targeted either by the government or by other elements in society- so it was shocking to me, absolutely shocking. In fact, it is also learnt that Christians and Muslims in Sri Lanka have developed a degree of solidarity as persecuted minorities, but why Muslims targeted Christians is very confusing and disturbing.
St Anthony’s Shrine/Church-Colombo, Sri Lanka
The exact motivations of the attackers are still not known. Some say attackers may have targeted churches in part because these spaces are powerful symbols of the West. Fairly or unfairly, Sri Lankan Christians have long been associated with colonial power; today, connections to global missionary networks and massive institutions like the Roman Catholic Church compound that association. While Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka do not have a history of mutual hostility, the general atmosphere of religious repression may have contributed to the attackers’ desire for violence. The bombings may be the latest permutation of violence in a country that is burdened with a bloody history but that has been largely peaceful in recent years. Sri Lanka has joined an expanding list of countries where churches have been twisted into a dramatic stage for ideological violence.
Another guess of mine is, the attackers may have bombed churches, along with public sites like hotels, because these sites are associated with the West. In general, I would say that Christianity in Sri Lanka suffers under the stigma of a historical connection with colonialism. It’s always easy for opponents of Christianity to tar them in that way, and also, recently, with their association with the power and wealth of Western Christians. But sadly, many lives were lost, a total of over 320 plus and the majority of them being Christians. Team Mangalorean expresses heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members, and may the departed souls Rest In Peace.
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