Priests hold Masses for former Tamil rebels

Catholic priests have celebrated the first few Masses for former Tamil rebels held in camps in the country´s north.

Former Tamil rebels in a jungle in Sri Lanka (File photo)

Military officials gave priests their approval for the services last week.

“We are allowed in only for religious purposes,” said Father Emilianuspillai Santhiappillai, head of Vavuniya deanery in Mannar diocese, where most of the 17 rehabilitation camps for Tamil rebels are located.

The army has given permission for 10 priests to visit for three hours on Saturdays from 6:30-9:30 a.m.

Father Santhiappillai sent priests to 15 rehabilitation camps to celebrate Mass on Saturday, Dec. 12.

More than seven months after Sri Lanka´s 26-year civil war ended, about 12,000 former rebels, many little more than children, are being held. Around 3,000 of the detainees are Catholics while the rest are Hindus.

The authorities say some are being rehabilitated, others face war crimes trials and some will be given amnesty. The authorities are currently interrogating the detainees to expose senior officers and associates, rebel hideouts and ammunition dumps.

Priests hold Masses in small prayer centers or in the shade of trees.

They are screened on arrival in the camps, and cameras and mobile phones are strictly prohibited. The priests are also not allowed to carry letters or messages between the detainees and their families.

“If we do not stick to the rules, there is a risk of cancellation of access to camps,” Father Santhiappillai told UCA News.

Father James Pathinathar, the parish priest of St Peter´s Church in the coastal city of Mullaitivu, said some Catholic detainees had not attended Mass for a decade.

He conducted services in five camps.

Thousands of his parishioners were killed, injured or disabled in the final battle on the Mullaitivu coast. Some 300,000 had fled the war zone. The priest was himself injured in the fighting.

Father Pathinathar said being able to celebrate Masses gives him a “great opportunity to build up the faith among my boys and girls.” Most come from deeply religious families, he noted.

Sri Lankan authorities still will not allow access to the camps by the International Committee of the Red Cross. No civilians are allowed in but parents and relatives can meet for a limited time at the entrance to the camp.