austraLasia #2400
An appeal against an internationally ignored war
CHENNAI: 25th April 2009 -- It is good to note that one of India's outstanding bishops, the Salesian Archbishop of Chennai, Malayappan Chinappa, has spoken out strongly and fearlessly on the Sri Lankan crisis. What the international community is ignoring in the hope that this crisis will soon go away (because all the rebels will be killed!) is far from being that simple: "It has become a mass graveyard....massacre...and nothing can justify this military option", he says.
The Archbishop knows what it is like to be a minority figure in ethnic terms, since he is a Dalit (lower caste) bishop amidst Brahmins (upper caste) and speaks out fearlessly on the issue, calling "casteism the worst form of terrorism"! Archbishop Chinappa is also one of the nicest, simplest human beings you could meet. He is always happy to sit down with you and have a quiet beer, put his feet up and chat, when he comes to the Pisana.
And now, in this situation which inevitably involves the emotions of Tamils living elsewhere than in a hunted pocket of northern Sri Lanka he says "To the Tamils living all over the world - we are with you in spirit, prayer and solidarity". He calls for international pressure on the Colombo government, and reminds anyone who will listen that "the Church is the Mother of all peoples....and we the Church pray incessantly for an immediate end to the war for suffering masses in the so-called 'safe zone' ".
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2400
Subject and key words: S. Asia, Tamils
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2400
An appeal against an internationally ignored war
CHENNAI: 25th April 2009 -- It is good to note that one of India's outstanding bishops, the Salesian Archbishop of Chennai, Malayappan Chinappa, has spoken out strongly and fearlessly on the Sri Lankan crisis. What the international community is ignoring in the hope that this crisis will soon go away (because all the rebels will be killed!) is far from being that simple: "It has become a mass graveyard....massacre...and nothing can justify this military option", he says.
The Archbishop knows what it is like to be a minority figure in ethnic terms, since he is a Dalit (lower caste) bishop amidst Brahmins (upper caste) and speaks out fearlessly on the issue, calling "casteism the worst form of terrorism"! Archbishop Chinappa is also one of the nicest, simplest human beings you could meet. He is always happy to sit down with you and have a quiet beer, put his feet up and chat, when he comes to the Pisana.
And now, in this situation which inevitably involves the emotions of Tamils living elsewhere than in a hunted pocket of northern Sri Lanka he says "To the Tamils living all over the world - we are with you in spirit, prayer and solidarity". He calls for international pressure on the Colombo government, and reminds anyone who will listen that "the Church is the Mother of all peoples....and we the Church pray incessantly for an immediate end to the war for suffering masses in the so-called 'safe zone' ".
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2400
Subject and key words: S. Asia, Tamils
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2400
