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Laymen seek justice for missing priest

Relatives want government action over clergyman last seen five years ago
Laymen seek justice for missing priest
A Catholic priest lights a candle in front of a photo of Father Jim Brown
Published: August 23, 2011 08:18 AM GMT
Updated: August 24, 2011 11:28 AM GMT

Parents and relatives of a priest and a layman who disappeared five years ago amid fighting between security forces and fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have urged the government to seek justice for the clergyman. The call came during a Mass last weekend for Father Thiruchchelvan Nihal Jim Brown and Wenceslaus Vimalathas, both of whom have been missing since August 20, 2006. The two men were last seen on a motorbike at a checkpoint in Allaipiddy, an area that at the time was tightly controlled by security forces. Wilfred Manojanraj, a parishioner who attended the Mass at St. Peter and Paul Church in Mandaithivu, said questions about the two missing priests need to be answered. “We still expect a free and fair investigation,” he said. “It should be investigated to reveal the truth and ensure justice. We prayed during Mass to find justice.” Nearly three decades of civil war ended in 2009 when government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers. An estimated 100,000 lives were lost during the conflict, including six priests and several church workers. Ruki Fernando, a representative of the Law and Society Trust, remembered Fr. Jim as a young priest who selflessly devoted himself to the needs of his parishioners. Fr. Jim had taken up a new post as parish priest at St. Philip Neri Church in Allaipiddy, about 300 kilometers north of Colombo, only 10 days before his disappearance, Fernando said. The priest had offered refuge to local residents during a night of heavy shelling on August 12, 2006. More than 20 people were killed that night and many more sustained injuries, Fernando said, though Fr. Jim escaped unharmed. “Will we ever know what happened to him and thousands of others who have disappeared? And will those responsible ever be identified and brought to justice?” Fernando said. “Could we even have reconciliation within the Catholic Church? What does reconciliation mean to the families and friends of Fr. Jim and Vimalathas and countless other families of disappeared people?” Related reports: Bishop sees little hope of missing priest being aliveChurch, parents of missing priest still hoping for news

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