Catholic Bishops clarify reasons for moving Madhu statue

        
   
  The Catholic Bishops Conference has clarified the reasons for temporarily moving the statue of Our Lady or Madhu to Thevanpiddi Church in Mannar.

It said in a statement that Thevanpiddi was the only alternative as other missions in the Mannar district have been deserted due to ongoing fighting between government troops and the LTTE.

Further, Thevanpiddi is an area with a sizeable population of Catholics, the Conference said.

It rejected claims by certain media that the statue had been moved at the instigation of the LTTE.

Recognized as a sacred area through gazette solidification on 19th March 1982, the Madhu Church is increasingly exposed to exchanges of shelling between the two parties at war, the statement noted.

After considering the safety of the statue as well as that of the clergy living there and with permission by the Bishop of Mannar, the statue was taken to Thevanpiddi.

The statue will be restored to its original resting place at Madhu after there is a guarantee about its safety, the statement added.