Sri Lanka's Catholic bishops discuss current issues in North and East with President

: A delegation of the Catholic Bishops' Conference led by its President Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith, met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees Sunday evening to discuss current issues in the North and East.

Among the issues discussed were the resettlement of IDPs and matters affecting the Catholic community, as well as matters of religious unity and understanding in the country.
Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith and the Bishop of Jaffna Thomas Savundranayagam thanked the President for the excellent work done in resettling more than 250,000 displaced people in a short period of just over one year since the end of military operations.

(Photos by Sudath Silva)
The Catholic delegation appreciated the fact that resettlement was carried out in the face of immense hardship such a de-mining of the land.
The Bishops of the North and East discussed further issues of livelihood assistance and shelter for the resettled IDPS, and offered the assistance of the Church in this work.
Other members of the Catholic delegation included Vice President of the conference Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph, Secretary General of the conference Bishop of Anuradhapura Norbert Andradi, OMI, Bishop of Kandy Vinney Fernando, Bishop of Trincomalee-Batticaloa Kingsley Swamipillai, Bishop of Badulla Winston Fernando, Bishop of Kurunegala Harold Perera, Bishop of Chilaw Valence Mendis and Administrator of Diocese of Galle Very Rev. Fr. Nihal Nanayakkara.
Prime Minister D.M Jayaratne, Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Bandula Gunawardena, Rajitha Senarathna, Sarath Gunaratna, Milroy Fernando, Dayasri Tisera, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa also participated in the discussions.