 |
| Catholics from villages in Mannar district stage a silent protest on July 6 demanding access to an age-old forest path to St. Anthony's Church in Pallekandal, located within Wilpattu National Park in northern Sri Lanka. |
Catholic pilgrims in Northern Sri Lanka have urged authorities to allow them to take a forest path leading to a historical Catholic church located within Wilpattu National Park, South Asia's second-oldest national forest that is home to rare elephant families.
The Department of Wildlife has closed the path for pilgrims who visit St. Anthony's Church in Pallekandal for the annual feast, which commenced this year on July 8, citing environmental concerns.
Father Terrance Culas, parish priest of Mullikulam, under whose purview the Pallakandal parish comes, said the authorities have told pilgrims to take an alternative route to reach the shrine, which is not feasible.
"The traditional pilgrimage route through the forest is about 20 kilometers [12.42 miles], while the alternative route via Puttalam will require pilgrims to travel over 250 kilometers,” the priest told UCA News on July 8.
Culas said many are unable to make it to the annual feast this year due to the sudden route change.
Every year, thousands of pilgrims arrive at the shrine from across the country to seek blessings and attend the Holy Mass, which is scheduled for July 12 this year.
Bishop Wimal Siri Jayasuriya of Chilaw will lead it, the priest said.
On July 6, Catholics from nearby Pallekandal, Mullikulam and Kayakuli villages in Mannar staged a silent protest demanding that they be allowed to take the traditional path for the annual pilgrimage.
They also met Mannar District Secretary K. Kanakeshwaran on July 7 and submitted a petition seeking urgent action on their demand by the authorities.
Local Catholics said that at an official meeting on June 30, at which their representatives were present, it was collectively decided to hold the annual feast as per age-old traditions.
But when the first pilgrims began arriving on July 5, officials attached to the Department of Wildlife barred them from taking the forest path.
They cited a Supreme Court ruling saying the public cannot use the forest path inside the national park.
The court ruling came in response to concerns raised by environmentalists that the popularity of the Catholic shrine is ruining the nature reserve.
Nearly 30,000 pilgrims swamp the reserve for the annual feast of St. Anthony, arriving in around 1,500 buses. They neglect park rules and walk freely through the reserve, the environmentalists allege.
St. Anthony's Church has been a popular pilgrimage site since the 17th century and has received pilgrims irrespective of their religion and ethnicity over the centuries.
The government declared Wilpattu a national park in 1972.
Francis Sebastian Thevarajan remembers walking the forest path with his parents or taking a bullock cart to reach the shrine in Pallekandal.
“By this time of the year [first week of July], I would be at St Anthony’s preparing for the annual Mass with other folks, but here I am at home, praying from far away,” the 56-year-old from Mullikulam, Mannar, said.
Locals say the only time pilgrims were unable to visit the shrine was during the civil war from 1983 to 2009.
Since the war's end, the pilgrimage has become a way for Sinhalese and Tamils to reconcile and worship together, they said.
Yardsan Figurado, president of the Mannar Social and Economic Development Organization, said the government has adopted a step-motherly attitude toward the folks in Mannar.
He alleged that while pilgrims from Mannar were being denied access through the forest, those coming from Puttalam and Chilaw in North Western Province were allowed to enter it.
“Why this different policy towards communities? We urge authorities to ensure the religious rights of all are protected by allowing them to attend the feast as usual,” he said. (Courtesy-UCAN)
Post a Comment