Chilaw (AsiaNews) – Catholic clergymen and believers are currently helping a Buddhist monk build a pagoda, a tangible act of friendship among people of different religions in Kalpitiya, a city located in the Diocese of Chilaw.
The Venerable Bandiwewa Diyasena Thero, the head monk of the Buddhist Centre in Kalpitiya, appreciates such support. “I am happy with this gift of solidarity from the Catholic Church," he told AsiaNews. “The parish priest, Father Sampath, his two assistant priests, and parishioners showed the harmony that exists in our province."
Venerable Diyasena Thero noted that even in India, when Anagarika Dharmapala was about to build a temple on the holy site of BoddhaGaya, the Catholic Church came to the defence of the rights of the Buddhist community.
The Buddhist religious leader also praised the efforts of Card Malcolm Ranjith in preventing violence between Sinhala and Muslims after the Easter 2019 attacks, noting how on that occasion Buddhist monks reached out as much as possible to help the victims. “It is in unity among all the religious leaders of this country that we can create peace," he explained.
For his part, Fr Sampath Prasanga Perera, parish priest of Kalpitiya, stressed the importance of the support offered by Catholics in building the pagoda.
“Bandiwewa Diyasena Thero is a very friendly monk who often works for religious harmony,” the priest explained.
“Kalpitiya is an area filled with devotees from all four religions: Buddhists, Hindus, Catholics, and Muslims. We all live in harmony and cooperation. Our religions may be different, but we all act like human beings. That is why we always experience harmony and love,” Fr Sampath said.
"If we try to live in harmony and peace, giving up little grudges between each other, this is the greatest luck we can have as human beings,” he added. “To set a small example, we are committed to building the pagoda.”
Photo by Prasad Purnamal Jayamanne
