PRESS RELEASE - Condolences to the families of victims of Sri Lanka church bombings on Easter Sunday
Just a day ago we sent our yearly message on the April 21st birthday of St. Joseph Vaz (1651-1711) which this year happened to fall on Easter Sunday. Instead of celebration and joy of Easter morning, the world woke up to the tragic news that over two hundred were killed in bombings in Sri Lankan churches and hotels on this holiest of Christian days. His Holiness Pope Francis gave a message of condolence and sadness at these violent attacks in his Easter message from the steps of St. Peter’s. Christian leaders at this moment should note that Sri Lankan Catholicism traces its roots to Saint Joseph Vaz's efforts under Dutch persecution to re-found the Church in seventeenth century Sri Lanka. Also, they should note that St. Joseph Vaz struggled to gain religious freedom for Sri Lanka’s Catholics and left a legacy of inter religious peace with Buddhists. Buddhist King Vimaladharma Surya II of Kandy and later his son, King Narendrasinha, gave him political protection from the Dutch authorities, as well as religious freedom to preach and build churches within their kingdom. While Catholic leaders and we, the Joseph Naik Vaz Institute representing St. Joseph Vaz, send our condolences to the families of victims of the Sri Lanka bombings and stand in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka, we gratefully acknowledge that the Catholic Church owes its existence to the religious protection that those Buddhist Kings of Kandy gave to that refugee saint and Founder of the present day Church of Sri Lanka, three hundred years ago. Joseph Naik Vaz Institute http://www.josephnaikvaz.org email: josephnaik....@gmail.com
