Mgr Oswald Gomis, Mgr Ranjith’s predecessor, was present at the ceremony; so was former President Chandrika Bandaranayake, as well as notable figures from the country’s institutions and parliament, from both the government and opposition benches. Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist religious leaders were also in attendance. Buddhist monks were led by the Venerable Vajira, who is the highest authority for the country’s largest religious community, which constitutes 68 per cent of Sri Lanka’s 20 million people.

In his address Mgr Ranjith noted that “some Catholics have close family relationships and interact with Buddhist brethren very closely.”

Referring to the old issue of conversions to Christianity, the new bishop of Colombo said that Catholics “have no intention of encouraging conversions to Christianity through unethical means”.

Instead, “our sole desire is to be able to practice our faith freely, living in harmony with all of our fellow citizens, further contributing to the wellbeing of this country.”

In response to President Rajapaksa’s remarks about working together to build a peaceful nation, Mgr Ranjith urged the government and the whole of civil society to promote reconciliation between north and south after 30 years of divisions caused by the war between the military and Tamil rebels.

The bishop went on to urge the authorities to accelerate the process of reintegration of refugees in their home villages, the most decisive step anyone can take to pacify the country.