Sri Lankan religious leaders uniting 'to rebuild the country' after cyclone
Cardinal Ranjith and the country's Buddhist leaders marked the New Year, calling on people to overcome ethnic and political divisions to heal the wounds caused by Cyclone Ditwah. More than 270,000 people remain displaced by the natural disaster, which left 643 dead and 183 missing.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka's senior religious leaders pledged to work together, putting aside ethnic differences, in order to rebuild the country.
Their New Year vows come at a time when the country is still mourning from the deaths and destruction wrought just a few weeks ago by Cyclone Ditwah.
The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, released a New Year's video message, calling on his fellow citizens to unite to rebuild the country, free from divisions and forgiving towards one another.
“I want to make use of this opportunity to urge you in the situation of the terrible disaster that we experienced in November when the cyclone stormed, and the situation that has fallen on so many people, to unite yourselves with each other, forgetting and forgiving each other, forgetting about all kinds of division that have been created among us socially and politically,” he said.
“Let us get together and build this country in a new spirit, so that in the year 2026 steps can be taken by all of us to achieve progress for our people and for our country,” he added.
Similarly, the Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya chapter of the Siam Nikaya, Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thero, in his New Year message, highlighted the enormous task ahead for Sri Lanka.
“Everyone should work together by setting aside ethnic differences to rebuild the country,” he noted. “I sincerely pray that the New Year will be a fortunate and prosperous one. I especially wish to stress that, to rebuild our fallen country, it is important that everyone cooperates equally, with a sense of ownership for our nation, and works together without disputes or divisions”.
Drawing inspiration from other countries who rebuilt after natural disasters, the Anu Nayake of the Malwatte Chapter of the Siam Nikaya, Venerable Dimbulkumbure Sri Saranankara Wimaladhamma Thero, also urged that the people of Sri Lanka to unite to rebuild the country.
As of 24 December, approximately 1.79 million people have been affected by the cyclone, with 643 confirmed deaths and 183 still missing. About 1.2 million people need humanitarian assistance. A total of 110,518 houses across the country have suffered partial damage and 6,288 have been destroyed. A total of 272,536 people remain displaced.
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02/01/2023 13:29
