Chilaw bishop eulogized for defending people´s rights

Retired Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando of Chilaw, a strong advocate for the people in public affairs, died on Aug. 24, aged 77, after an illness.

Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando

“He took the side of the people on every issue with the government,” said Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith during the requiem Mass held on Aug. 25 at the archbishop´s house in Colombo.

Hundreds of bishops, priests, Religious and laypeople attended the noon service.

Bishop Fernando was recognized as a rights activist and a writer. He campaigned against what he saw as deteriorating standards of justice and environmental degradation in the country, and is remembered for the many rallies, signature campaigns and prayer services he organized on various issues.

He devoted particular attention to campaigns against a bill to regulate religious conversions, and against a coal-fired power plant that people fear will threaten the environment and a popular Catholic shrine in his diocese.

“His priesthood was a gift from God. We will carry forward his ideas,” Archbishop Ranjith said.

The requiem Mass for the late bishop

He highlighted Bishop Fernando´s long service as president of the Catholic Bishop´s Conference in Sri Lanka and as head of several Church institutions.

The late prelate always made clear that the Church has an important task of fostering ethical values that are fundamental to the development of a just and peaceful society, Archbishop Ranjith said. He also recalled that Bishop Fernando joined with other religious leaders to raise a united voice for justice and peace.

The funeral Mass is scheduled for Aug. 27 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Chilaw, a coastal area in the north of Colombo.

Bishop Fernando was born in 1931 and ordained a priest in 1956 in Rome, where he did his priestly studies. He was ordained a bishop on Aug. 19, 1965, appointed coadjutor bishop of Chilaw in 1968 and succeeded as bishop of the diocese in December 1972. He retired in October 2006.