Archbishop Marcus, a fatherly and kind bishop, bold and friend of the poor
The person and work of Mgr Nicholas Marcus Fernando, 7th archbishop of Colombo, were remembered during his funeral on Monday. “He was blessed with many qualities and we know he used them all for the glory of God. For this reason, we wish Archbishop Marcus eternal rest and the love and care of the Lord Jesus.”
Colombo (Asia News) – The person and work of Mgr Nicholas Marcus Fernando, 7th archbishop of Colombo, were remembered during his funeral on Monday. The service was celebrated in private in St Mary’s Church, Negombo, because of the current pandemic but was broadcast live by state television.
Card Malcolm Ranjit, the current archbishop of Colombo, and the other bishops of Sri Lanka as well as numerous priests and nuns together with members of Archbishop Fernando’s family were present. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was also in attendance, made a short speech.
The late archbishop was 87. Born on 6 December 1932 in Negombo, he was ordained priest on 20 December 1959. He served as archbishop of Colombo from 1977 to 6 July 2002.
Bishop Oswald Gomis, a close friend, gave the eulogy, reminiscing about their first meeting, 70 years ago, on 16 January 1950.
“"I remember this date well,” he said, “because on that day only I entered the minor seminary in Colombo. From that day onwards we became good friends, until his death. He was a very kind and unassuming priest.”
"In 1968 I was elected auxiliary bishop of Colombo and had to move to the Bishop's house. But our friendship remained as it was.
“When, in 1977 he became archbishop of Colombo, I asked him to choose any other young priest to work with him, because we were of the same age, with a difference of only six days: he was born on 6 December and I on 12. He rejected my request. After that we worked together for 19 years.
“When he turned 70, the archbishop retired and I became archbishop of Colombo. But our friendship remained as it was, we never quarrelled.
“He worked with fatherly love. He was very kind and understanding, and therefore the priests loved him very much. He had good qualities to deal with everyone and solve any problem.”
“He always supported the idea that innocent people should not be punished, harassed or troubled and that their lives should be protected. He spoke out against injustice against the poor caused by bad leaders and the powerful during the presidency of J.R. Jayawardana.”
“He knew the Tamils and boldly said that there should be equal rights for all citizens and no privileges for any group.
“Especially when talking about the civil war, he insisted that we should solve our own problems by ourselves with our own plans, not according to others' plans. Sometimes people turned against him for such statements, but he was never discouraged and strongly defended his opinions.”
“He was blessed with many qualities and we know he used them all for the glory of God. For this reason, we wish Archbishop Marcus eternal rest and the love and care of the Lord Jesus.”
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24/01/2007
