Sri Lankan priest: Church did not request troops before shrine attack

Published: 2008-02-14

COLOMBO, Sir Lanka (CNS) -- A Sri Lankan Catholic official said the church should not be blamed for a rebel artillery attack that damaged a Catholic shrine. Artillery shells reportedly fired by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Feb. 12 hit St. Anthony Shrine in Thalladi and the surrounding area, killing six soldiers and wounding 10 others. Church sources said the portico and entrance to the shrine were damaged seriously. Father Surenthiran Leenus, secretary to Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar, told the Asian church news agency UCA News Feb. 14 that there had been some confusion over what happened and why the shrine was hit. Father Leenus said that Feb. 13 local media reports, relying on military sources, falsely claimed soldiers had been cleaning up St. Sebastian Cathedral at the request of local church officials. The cathedral oversees the shrine, which is less than a mile away. "These killings are not our fault, and we did not ask for 'shramadana' (voluntary service) from security people," he said. "The church should not be blamed."

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