Sri Lanka: church badly damaged by aerial bombs
The Church of the Sacred Heart, within the Catholic sanctuary in Madhu, in Mannar dioceses has been heavily damaged by aerial bombs. Two Tamil websites have posted photos of the damage. The sites said that the Sri Lankan air force bombed the building. The local bishop, Mgr Joseph Rayappu, removed the statue of Our Lady of Madhu to place it in a more secure spot. The defense ministry has denied having bombed the building accusing the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) of propaganda. Meanwhile, Mgr Oswald Gomis, Archbishop of Colombo, has called for peace again during a message condemning the death of the Catholic minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, who was killed last Sunday in an attack that left 14 others dead. The archbishop advocates a political solution to achieve peace, criticizing political leaders for its lack of consensus and unity, as well as an overly partisan outlook. Source: MISNA