by Melani Manel Perera

Sister Miriam Deepa Fernando represented Sri Lanka at an international conference on ‘Peace and reconciliation in the context of Asia’. After the Civil War, we must follow Jesus who “had the idea of bringing together all his scattered children into one family as well as building unity and communion.”

Colombo (AsiaNews) – Sister Miriam Deepa Fernando, member of the leadership team of the Congregation of the Holy Family in the Colombo province (Sri Lanka), spoke to AsiaNews about the international conference on ‘Peace and reconciliation in the context of Asia,’ which was held from 7 to 11 April 2015 at the Camillian Pastoral Care Centre in Bangkok (Thailand).

Invited as a representative for Sri Lanka, she describes the event as a unique opportunity to meet "many activists working in the fields of justice and peace. Learning about their battles and the many difficulties they face to defend human rights has given us an opportunity to discuss and clarify our perceptions of each other and understand the conflicts that each nation is going through."

AsiaNews interviewed her after she came back from the conference.

According to what you saw at the international experience, are you happy with the contributions made by the government and the Church of Sri Lanka to reconciliation in the country?

The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), which was created by the previous government of Sri Lanka to investigate human rights violations (during the Civil War) and the lack of credibility of the results by other similar commissions, had generated distrust in ordinary Sri Lankans, especially among those who had been affected by the conflict.

In the past, many commissions carried out investigations according to the whims and fancies of their leaders, failing to provide answers that would help ease tensions between ethnic groups. Unfortunately, these groups have made matters worse, creating suspicion in the community.

I think that what is lacking in our country is the truth. Providing answers to events is not seen as a fundamental part of the process of reconciliation. We have the tools to do so but have not used them appropriately.

For example, in the Church the pastoral letter of the Bishops’ Conference (8 December 8 2013) offers the government many concrete steps to reach reconciliation. But it is just a paper. It indicates no mechanism for implementation and evaluation of the work (of reconciliation).

Recently, I was in the north (of the country) to visit some areas and I discovered that many women and children war victims are still enduring a harsh life. Even though they got some land, and some detainees have been released, there are still many unresolved issues. Reconciliation requires us to understand that the land (or anything else) we are giving them is not "ours": we are just giving them their own property back.

You met with representatives of various countries and you are now full of new ideas. Given what you have seen and learnt, what do you think of the Church’s work in Sri Lanka?

We might be a minority in our own land, but we have so many resources to bring reconciliation in the Church. Jesus​​ had the idea of bringing together all his scattered children into one family as well as building unity and communion. As baptised people, the main purpose of our mission is to bring reconciliation.

I fear that even the leaders of our Church have not delivered the real message to people. We have not become the Good News. We have more than 40 religious congregations and many ecclesiastical institutions. We have physical resources and a spiritual heritage, but I wonder if we use all of this to bring reconciliation, which is our country’s basic need after the conflict.

I think we have not fully used our resources and, for this reason, we need to have a long-term plan to implement real peace and reconciliation in the country. At present, the government, civil society groups and the Church should hold hands and work together for this purpose.

Are you planning something new to change the situation, at least in your congregation?

Yes, I believe that our Justice and Peace offices in Colombo and Jaffna can work as one. We can do some things together, but we need to draw up long-term programmes and develop some practical initiatives. We have to make reconciliation a priority for our ministries.

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