The area where the church is located is some 220 kilometres north of Colombo in an area that was under the control of Tamil Tigers till 25 April.
Government forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels had reached an agreement more than a year ago to institute a “no war” zone around the shrine during religious holidays, but neither side respected it. The area remains heavily mined.
The pledge to reopen the shrine on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception reached Fr Damian Fernando, director of Caritas Sri Lanka; it was made by Basil Rajapaksa, brother and advisor to current President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Father Damain told AsiaNews that the pledge came after a meeting with Rajapaksa on 20 November.
“We visited the shrine and the surrounding area on 4 November under the protection of the military and we shared with Mr Basil Rajapaksa what we saw,” the Caritas director said.
The delegation told the presidential advisor that some sections of the area had not yet been de-mine, and that because of this some cattle had been lost.
After being reassured that all mines would be cleared in time, the Caritas delegation asked the authorities to disinfest the area of mosquitoes.
In addition to pledging to meet the latter request Basil Rajapaksa said that the government would also ensure power supplies to about a hundred homes built by Caritas in Batticaloa and provide protection to pilgrims who travel through areas still affected by clashes with the LTTE.