28 March, 2024

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Two Self-Proclaimed Anglican Bishops: From His Lordship To His Grace

By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole

Prof. S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole

Power Seeking Anglican Antecedents

The Anglican Church is a lot about authority, elitism, and identifying with those in power.

At the Church of England’s very founding Henry VIII of England broke off from the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and proclaimed himself “The Supreme Head of the Church of England.” Henry’s wife Catherine of Aragon, had been married at the age of 3 to his elder brother Arthur who was heir apparent to the English throne, but was widowed 5 months later.  Years later, Henry asked Pope Clement VII to declare the marriage null but was rightly refused.

The Archbishops and Bishops of England under their new Supreme Head complied with his wish to divorce his lawful wife proclaiming his marriage to Catherine annulled despite Catherine having been Queen of England for some 24 years and begetting for him the Queen after Henry, Mary I, and some sons who did not live long. The Church of England unbelievably claimed  there had been no marriage so that the teachings of Jesus on marriage and divorce may not be seen to be violated, and Henry could marry his mistress without a divorce! Many Bishops and officials of England who refused to accept Henry’s supreme headship and the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine were beheaded – the most notable of these being Catherine’s good friend Sir Thomas More (who is now sainted).

That has unfortunately been the trend in the Church – to make black seem white and vice versa in servility to authority.

The CoC in 1970: Sucking up to Whoever is in Power

The Church of Ceylon (CoC) came here as the Church of England in Ceylon and now is the Church of Ceylon.

In that tradition of sucking up to authority, the Oxford educated elitist Bishop Harold de Soysa who coming on his rare visitation to Jaffna requested of my mother that he be served pies for his meals.

Bishop de Soysa as head of church and by life-style naturally sided with the 1965-1970 UNP’s Dudley Senanayake government, declaring on the eve of the May 1970 elections in the state newspaper The Daily News in bold headline “Do not vote for totalitarianism of any kind.” It was a reference to the communist-Trotskyite-socialist United Left Front (ULF) coalition headed by Srimavo Bandaranaike, challenging Dudley Senanayake’s UNP.

Uh-oh! The ULF swept the polls, winning a 2/3 majority to rewrite the constitution. The Finance Minister Dr. NM Perera promptly declared that the UNP government had wrecked the economy and we were bankrupt as a nation. He started a Save-the-Country Fund.

The hapless Bishop needed to show his loyalties to the new masters of the Church and ordered every parish to donate the next Sunday’s collection to the Fund. My father, then Vicar of Christ Church Jaffna, refused saying that that was for the parish to decide. After some correspondence the Bishop backed off. However, most priests did not dare to challenge their episcopal boss’ authoritarian diktat.

The CoC in 2019: Sucking up to Whoever is in Power

Today we have the same situation. Just before the presidential election, Bishop Dhiloraj Canagasabey as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Colombo issued a report with words ridiculing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa about “Rajapakshe [sic.] creating history and political turmoil” with regard to the dissolution of parliament in October 2018. Claiming, “With democracy at its lowest ebb” during the crisis of Oct. 2018, the Bishop headlined a section of the report “After Ten Years Back to the Gloom of Terror.” This was to raise the spectre of the return of the Rajapaksas to alter the people’s verdict. Discussing the report on church premises, the Bishop was in violation of the law and has escaped prosecution by a member of the Election Commission arguing that the politically biased words were in a report that was discussed and not “uttered” as prohibited in the relevant Act.

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resounding election, Bishop Canagasabey had to do a volte face like Harold de Soysa as Anglicanism demanded, bowing down to whoever is in authority, the state in particular. He did not stop with the courtesy of offering his congratulations. He changed position completely. The CoC said “the victory came at a time when the nation finds itself seemingly lacking in stability, direction, and confidence.” With Anglicans’ clever play with words, the Bishop was suddenly blaming his old masters for lacking in stability, direction and confidence (News First, 24 Nov. 2019) which Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa was promising. Touché.

A regular Assemblies of God church camp at Baldaeus Theological College in Trincomalee for the past several years, in a sign of the times, had police coming and asking questions on 26 Dec.. They took away telephone numbers that left many of us unsettled. It is the direction and stability that Bishop Canagasabey welcomed.

Seeking to be a Province: Jumping the Gun

This is the time the Church of Ceylon is seeking to be a Province of the Anglican Communion. It takes 4 or 5 dioceses to be accepted as a province. However, the Church has been bleeding members to Churches like the new Assemblies of God. With over 100,000 members at independence, CoC lost to rice politics as Rice Christians like the Anglicans JR Jayawardene and SWRD Bandaranaike became Buddhists. Anglicans now number below the Methodists’ 40,000 members although the Anglicans trade in inflated numbers because many who have left for newer churches retain nominal membership for weddings in grand buildings, to be buried with their parents and for school admissions. Many give 25,000 as a more reasonable estimate, well below new-churches.

With waning numbers, and lots of money in trusts established by loyal Anglicans who never foresaw the coming collapse, power is sought through becoming an Anglican Province. The problem is that members do not want this expansion as clearly demonstrated at island-wide consultations.  When members want consolidation of what we have and a return to preaching the faith, the Bishops seek to be a Province which brings the title of archbishop and replacement of that waning power through new international Anglican connexions.

Democracy: For the Nation but Not for CoC

Bishop Canagasabey issued a long press release when President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed Parliament in Oct. 2018. But within the Church? A simple resolution asking Anglicans whether they want a diocese was turned down by Bishop Canagasabey before it could even be presented on the advice of Diocesan Registrar Chanaka de Silva, PC, on the grounds that simply asking the diocese if they like another diocese

“is contrary to the provisions of this Constitution and concerns a matter beyond the competence of the Council and is detrimental to the fellowship and unity of the body of Christ in the Diocese.”

The Bishop readily accepted the opinion rendered in servility to the Bishop as many a schoolboy will discern. It was self-servingly accepted by the Bishop as correct. Diocesan Council representatives would not be allowed to express their views by voting on the resolution asking if they want another diocese or not. It is because the Bishop and his Registrar say the church constitution does not allow us to express that opinion, we are not competent to say what we think, and the debate will cause divisions! The recent calls to rethink how President’s Counsel are selected are timely indeed.

The Self-proclaimed Archbishops Canagasabey and Fernando

Fictional Titles as Archbishop – Jumping the Gun

In a drama to show democracy, letters were sent by the two Bishops, Dhilo Canagasabey of Colombo and Keerthi Fernando of Kurnegala,  to write in our views on another diocese. We were asked to write to the self-styled Provincial Secretary, Arun Gamlath who really is diocesan secretary. It showed that a decision has already been decided to establish a diocese and make us a Province – the province is a fait accompli. For there can be no provincial secretary without a province.

The Bishops’ letter gave a two week deadline in the busy time of Christmas. Then on 22 Dec., another letter was placed on our church noticeboard in Nallur giving us another two weeks’ notice for a mere 2-hour session in Talawa, Galle (on a Sunday when no one would cut church to go) and Colombo to ask questions. No one from Jaffna or the hill-country where many Anglicans live can realistically go. Colombo was up to its tricks again. A priest asked how he can skip Sunday service to go to Galle. Another dissenting priest said, “I want to go and state my objections but will be transferred in punishment.”

Their Lordships Sign as Their Highest Grace, a Non-existing Title above an Archbishop’s His Grace

And the shocking thing? Both The Rt. Rev. Dhilo Canagasabey and The Rt. Rev. Keerthi Fernando have signed off as His Highest Grace Dhiloraj Canagasabey and as His Highest Grace Keerthisri Fernando.

A soundly educated Anglican would know a Bishop’s prefix is always The Right Rev. or His Lordship; whereas an Archbishop’s is the Most Rev. or His Grace. There is no “His Highest Grace,” elevating them above an Archbishop who would by norms be simply His Grace.

What is going on? Provincial Secretary and two Archbishops even before we are a province with one Archbishop at Most? A Power Struggle for who becomes Archbishop? Or are they living a fantasy?

Democracy: To the Nation but not in Church

The Church advocates democracy and its twin, devolution, for the country but within the Church Colombo is supreme. Lawyers in the service of the Church, like typical lawyers, advance the establishment position without even seeming to believe it and knowing that those listening also do not believe they are being honest in rendering opinions. It does not matter to lawyers. Only their brief matters. If that is pointed out, a cacophony of stooges advocating unethical positions on the Standing Committee suddenly discover ethics: “Withdraw”, “Unethical” etc. they chime in unison. No one thereafter dares speak the truth or disagree with the Bishop.

The Church had outstanding leaders in the past and people respected them for what they were and not for any superlative titles. It is the leaders’ doubts about themselves that is at the root of the problems. The leaders do not trust the membership and try to make up for what is lacking with titles; and democratic norms within the Church are disappearing. One of the healthy practices was to respect local choices in appointments to church bodies. Now all appointments and meeting venues focus power in Colombo.

Hiran Fernando, the son of the late revered Rev. Fr. Celestine Fernando, has researched and detailed alleged high corruption in the CoC – massive trees chopped down from church premises and sold with no accounting, Colombo 7 houses bequeathed to “the Bishop of Colombo” transferred to the person holding the office of Bishop of Colombo, fixed trials of priests disagreeable to the Bishop while all kinds of scoundrels are promoted in office, homosexuality with a driver who is paid to retire, etc.. These matters, coming from a man of high reputation like Hiran Fernando who has been elected to many church offices and withdrew from all except coming on Sundays in frustration, certainly need answers and not silence.

Presently the Church uses its titled clerics and officers to campaign against local choices to the extent of the Bishop delivering harangues against individuals at council meetings to manipulate elections. Many are too afraid for their soul or their purse to decide on their own.

Panini Edirisinghe: Exposing Holy Terror

When it comes to church schools, democracy and consultation are crucial to quality. On the board governing the S. Thomas’ group of schools, practically nine are appointed by the Bishop of Colombo and five are elected. What the dedicated old boy Panini Edirisinghe has told us through the social media is that the Church goes to extreme lengths to ensure that even one or two of the five to be elected to the Thomian Board do not rock the boat and their elections are manipulated. The Church becomes bankrupt when holy terror becomes a substitute for reason and true holiness.

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Latest comments

  • 5
    0

    I must say that we’ve had a quite rollicking opening to this article, with the devoted Anglican, Professor Jeevan Hoole, the son and grandson of Anglican priests, recounting the faults of his own church at its inception during the reign of bad king Henry VIII.
    .
    There will never be perfection in things man-made, but we can at least be honest and face upto the truth. For all that the Western World may be shifting away from religion, the highest dignitaries in the Churches there have in recent years shown the ability to face upto the truth about themselves – to such an extent that they seem to be eccentrics. Rowan Williams’ retirement was hurried by his sincerity:
    .
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1578017/Adopt-sharia-law-in-Britain-says-the-Archbishop-of-Canterbury-Dr-Rowan-Williams.html
    .
    Many Sri Lankans may not know all this, but this was an Archbishop whom one couldn’t help but love and admire for his candour. So, the Intellectual Rowan left, and the Evangelical Justin came.
    .
    .
    When will we ever match the honesty of the current Archbishop of Canterbury?
    This is stunning, and absorbing, but certainly not sleaze. This is real life. He won my personal admiration for this. Many other accounts on-line.
    .
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/justin-welby-paternity-might-tell-us-about-the-church-of-england-a6976731.html
    .
    Oh, and Professor Hoole ends with a comment on this article:
    .
    https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/some-thomian-pharisees-are-adamant-on-the-need-to-cheat/
    .
    Three days old, but let me acknowledge, running out of steam because the typical Sri Lankan is a hypocrite – which Prof. Hoole certainly is not!
    .
    Most disturbing is the fact that this knavish Bishop of Colombo (I know the Kurunegala Bishop but haven’t run into evidence of criminal behaviour on his part) is possibly selling off assets of the Church which came its way only because of Colonialism.
    .
    These are issues on which all Sri Lankans must comment.

    297 words

  • 4
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    Stern action should be taken against malpractices and corruption.
    What has happened in Australia, US, UK, Ireland should not be allowed in SL.

    Because the Church had sweeped allegations of sexual abuse of minors under the carpet a huge black mark has occured.

    Untold misery to peoples lived have been caused because of sexual abuse.

    I encourage the church to take stern action against sexual abuse and not to safegurd perpitrators it should be mandatory if some one knows about sexual abuse happening to report it to the police.

    And I thank Prof Hoole for exposing these malpractices.

    What Jesus Chris preached was the servant leadership model.

    It is high time that the Bishop follows the Lord rather than the – order of the WORLD

  • 5
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    Manipulation and intrigue has always been a part of any society to achieve the ends of those who practise it. Particularly in Sri Lanka it is witnessed in various spheres the person self appoints and self assumes a position and bear the trappings of that position and then take steps to formalize the same. So, Right Reverend becoming His Grace by practise is nothing new. Punish for expressing views? After all a transfer is hell of a lot milder than being executed as a traitor. Prof. Hoole has the best experience when he was not allowed to function as the Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University by the LTTE. When a person dies especially for religion he or she is called a martyr and if a person dies for LTTE is called mahavir. I beg to disagree with the learned Doctor of Science to say that there is nothing called holy terror. It is simply terror. Where terror reigns there cannot be anything called reason leave alone holiness. Those days when the Tiger boss spelt out something didn’t the followers have to say “Yes Thalaiver” just as much as followers of Hitler had to say “Ja Fuhrer”? (Incidentally both Thalaiver and Fuhrer mean leader) Where is the reason? Churches or places of other religious worship become value to the unscrupulous in view of the wealth associated with it. The conduct of a Board of Governors of a school? What is the difference even in a company? THOSE WHO ROCK THE BOAT ARE THROWN OVERBOARD. Prof! I may not agree with everything what you say but I do appreciate your efforts to row upstream facing the odds and maintaining your position. KEEP IT UP.

  • 7
    2

    Maybe JESUS has to be ‘BORN AGAIN’ to sort out the problems.

    • 3
      4

      He will be coming soon

      • 2
        1

        Christopher, I said no such thing!

      • 1
        0

        Ya, as the famous ad goes, ” Have a coke while you wait(for Jesus)”.

      • 0
        2

        He will be coming soon is ugly sexual language.

    • 2
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      K.Anaga , Is calling for some modicum of decorum from you, too much to ask for. Please be quite on things that least concern you.

      • 1
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        Regret: quiet, not quite.

  • 9
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    Hoole,
    I think that Henry iii had a point when he decided to break off from Rome but, the phenomena of religions turning to dogmas and then becoming a part of the political system, sometime becoming more oppressive than the rulers themselves had a long history that runs as far back as the origin of religions. The behavior of the Church of England & its regional branches is a only part of the same phenomena. As a matter of fact, as far as I know, Roman Catholic history is much more ugly. For example, they not only approved Hitler’s Holocaust program, they also helped Nazis to escape to S America via Rome. Buddhist also do similar harassment to other religions; so do Muslims as well in their countries. The reason for this trend is simple: Human nature itself! This behavior cannot be eliminated but can be kept to minimum by open discussions like these.

    • 2
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      Hool is foolish and also utterly naive to believe that Church structure is democratic. It is only less hierarchic than the Hindu system with its Manu Dharma dividing even human society into hierarchies. Doesn’t Hoole know that even the church especially in the North follows a bit of the Manu Dharma in only having —pillai class (or dare I say caste) people as priests. The Anglican church has its hierarchy as well. Only upper class Englishmen reached the highest echelons of the church. Their word and should be obeyed.

      Of course there is democracy in the horizontally sense. Vertically, you obey those above you, and demand obedience from those below you. If they don’t obey you, you can terrorize them and send them to hell.

  • 5
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    Superbly argued case. Hope it causes ripples in high echelons!

  • 5
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    It seems there is politics within the christian clergies as well. There is competition within them.
    There is racism too within clergies
    I wonder how many of them supported Eelam project !

  • 9
    1

    Baldaeus Theological College
    In this article I mentioned Baldaeus Theological College in Trinco and the visit by the police on 26 Dec..

    The college trains and empowers poor pastors. I am Honorary Vice President of the Board of Governors and can testify to the good work done there. I also teach without pay and can testify to the transformation and character growth the students go through before my very eyes.

    My wife is the President/Principal of the college.

    Today 27 Dec. I received a new report. The police came again. They were polite but their presence was chilling. They wanted the names of current students and of new students coming in January. When we said we do not yet have the new class list, they promised to return after term reopens.

    In addition, I learn that the police are going to free churches in Trincomalee gathering the names of members.

    Does it sound like we are living in a democracy?

    • 2
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      A premonition of imminent disaster!

    • 3
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      Hoole,
      Two points:
      1. You should know that religious institutions, like armed forces, are used to follow a strict hierarchical order; for the democracy is an alien concept.
      2. GoRa is suffering from very unusual level of NGO-phobia. That explains why he keep sending police to search your work place. You should know by now that the concept of democracy has very limited meaning under MaRa/GoRa: Those who are “suspected”of (not necessarily engaged in) standing against his wishes are not entitled to have HR! That is the political culture of the whole clan.

      As I explained in a comment on the CT column about FR case filed by Shani Abesekara, the current generation of Ra..kse clan (adults & young) has been raised to believe that it is OK to win power, stay in power & hoard wealth by any mean possible. On top of this problem of “defective nurture”, there is GoRa’s penchant for revenge. What he will be doing is repeating the pre-2015 “White Van Culture” in a “softer mode”. But the ultimate meaning is the same: Destroy any perceived (don’t have to be real) obstacles.

      • 3
        1

        Hi, so-called D. P. the unashamed,

        You the pretentious undercooked great English writer who calls himself D P who is also ashamed of his own name to own up to whatever s*** he fingers and not writes these days as many of us do. I do observe that without responding my critique of your arrogant, foolish, derogatory and hubris filled comments to me, you are now trying to write to redeem yourself and in the process muddying yourself further by displaying greater ignorance and lack of knowledge of the English language and the subject matter with hardly any original thought and only borrowed and/or stolen repeats from others.

        Further, your two writing pieces of the 23rd of Dec have 3 and 15 critical spelling and punctuation errors and 2 & 5 advanced proper language use errors. The piece on the 24th of Dec has 5 critical spelling and punctuation errors and 3 advanced proper language use errors. Please try to do more reading of the learned to improve and self-develop yourself without boring us of your borrowed and stolen crap.

        This above has 8 and 6 critical spelling and punctuation errors and 8 advanced issues.

      • 6
        0

        To the so-called arrogant and hubris filled or hubriscious (a new derived word) for D. P. the unashamed who will not find it with his stagnant knowledge pool of Lamarck.

        You are not even a patch, blotch or stain on the undies of such a great and courageous professor Ratnajeevan Hoole (RH) or his brother Rajeevan who are both astounding in their moral courage along with far greater proficiency in the English language. You are nowhere near their highest ethical and moral standards as well when hiding your name behind two letters.

        RH is living and writing these from the bastardly lion’s den. From where do you derive such temerity or chutzpah to advise/ce him? It will only be from your conceit, arrogance, and vanity of vanities that men of greater learning and wisdom shun making way for such self-satisfied and smug people of such low beginnings and life like you. Would D P stand for Donkey Poo?

        • 1
          0

          Dear M Spencer,
          .
          I think that to be fair, D. P. does show occasional flashes of insight/ intelligence. However, when he misjudges, it is on a monumental scale.
          .
          As you say, there can be no comparison between him and the Hoole brothers who have “astounding moral courage”. They are two of the most outstanding Sri Lankans now living. The elder is known as “Rajan”, the expanded version of which is “Ratnarajan”. There are Wikipedia entries on both. Rajan’s has not been constructed or even corrected by him. He’s just not bothered with such things.
          .
          Not bothering with things which ought to trouble us is the problems wi us Sri Lankans. Anglicans have got placed at the pinnacle of society; there’s no point quibbling over that, and it’s not because of any special virtue but owing to a quirks of history. For people to be now indifferent to all the corruption there is incredible. If you ignore these outrageous things happening at lower levels, we will indeed pay for it at National Level.

    • 0
      0

      You are praising the college where your wife is the Principal, and where you are the Hony. Vice President.
      Don’t you see a conflict of interest here?
      It seems that Hoole is always blowing is own trumpet and nailing other people in the process without respecting due process.
      This kind of accusations against respected churchmen by public mud=slinging in a way they cannot defend themselves is not expected from civilized individuals. You are behaving like a modern-day Savonarola.

      Now that you have declared that the Anglican Church has broken off from the True Church of Christ, why do you continue to be in it? May be you and your wife can form your own church.

      It may be utterly unknown to you, but Batticaloe has been a hot bed of terrorism (most recently from the Jamat Zaharan group), and the police may have their good reasons. They have done nothing other than asking for the enrollment and such information that should be publicly available. Most institutions (e.g., Universities and colleges) publish the names of their students in their registry. So, the attempt to portray police action as some sort of sinister action, when they are only looking for information that should be publicly available shows that may be you have something to worry about.
      May be this college is claiming to have more numbers of students than it has, and using the college for money laundering? If some one, say a distinguished Bishop, were to write such a letter full of allegations against you, how would you like it?

      • 1
        0

        King whoever you fancy you are

        “Now that you have declared that the Anglican Church has broken off from the True Church of Christ, why do you continue to be in it?”

        It is the church of Jesus. It is Hoole’s church for 6 generations.
        Christ called them. You are exactly the problem being described.

        If the likes of Hoole leave the Church, they will never leave their church, you can rob it and preach your heresies and practice your adulteries and defrauding the church better huh!

        You sound like Kenneth who tried to excommunicate the Prof holding his mitre etc and failed for lack of support.
        Now like Bisops arrogating Lord Jesus’s title of our high priest, “highest grace” to themselves is demonic works.

        The problem is lack of Christian education especially of the clergy to the very top, coupled with greed and open racism and classism and narcisism inside CoC

        The CoC is a business with other people’s capital to defraud

        The Church has survived despite the weed.

  • 2
    12

    There are better things to worry about.

    Soma

    • 10
      1

      Soma,
      If others worry is not your worry
      one day you will have to worry.

      • 5
        1

        The police have better things to worry about.
        Christians will never do suicide bombings why is the present government hounding the Christians?

        If another suicide bomb goes off the Rajapakshas will have to go home and stay home.

        Take the names of the Sinhala Budhists also durind Vesak.

        Especialy the ones indulging in HATE SPEECH this is the main catalist for terrorist activity in Sri Lanka.

      • 0
        0

        You really have a knack for pithy sayings, dear Colombo Man.
        .
        My sincere thanks to you, whoever you are, for these brief, telling and memorable comments on both the “Anglican Articles”.

    • 2
      0

      somass

      “There are better things to worry about.”

      Do you think so,
      and such as ???

      When exactly did you discover?
      Was it your first Eureka moment?

  • 13
    1

    This Bishop must be investigated along with the transactions of those of his predecessors. The colombo 07 house he is trying to occupy illegally is a prime example. The rot set in in the late 60s when Harold De Soysa tried to do a deal and sell the old Bishops House land at Colpetty to Conrad Hilton, and ultimately managed to sell it to the Oberoi Group (Cinnamon Grand stands there today) for peanuts, moving to a much less prime property next to BMICH through a government deal. Later many other properties across the country bequeathed through Anglican trusts also went silently the same way. In Colpetty too most of the lands were sold, the land next to STC Prep (now Seylan Bank) being sold for a song To Lalith Kotelawala in the early 90s under Kenneth Fernando with not a peep from the Trustees or standing committee. That now senile white collar criminal Rajan Asirwatham was a prime mover in all these and still survives and should be hauled before the police.

    However the latest Bishop is the worst of all the crooks, having done his best to manipulate the school system under him while playing all sides.

  • 1
    0

    It appears the church is used as an underground mafia to infilterate by their external hands to meddle in internal affairs of a country.
    Its also can handle any type of funds without disclosure.
    No audits/Records nor accountability or taxed.

  • 2
    0

    Whats going on today would never have happened on if this “Srikotha Gewalaya” kept up the promises he made in 2015. Its high time this thick skinned, Pocket Billiard player vacate the Srikotha.

  • 7
    0

    Amazing stories of Prof: Hoole and the comment above by Panini.

    His Highest Grace should now be modified to read as The Amazing Grace; It will be music to the ears!.

  • 2
    0

    What is the matter with Sri Lanka? This is such a well-substatiated article. Very few comments.
    *
    May God look down with compassion on his erring children.

  • 1
    0

    Dear Plato,
    .
    As you say, that story of Justin Welby’s parents is sensational.
    There was a good deal of discussion of serious moral issues as a result. This for instance:
    .
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3533129/The-society-seducer-sired-Archbishop-DNA-bombshell-Justin-Welby-s-true-father-mother-far-woman-fall-Anthony-Montague-Browne.html
    .
    Most have been, like us understanding and sympathetic, but Welby did have to handle some other difficult cases like this, where he was probably unfair about a truly great man long after his death:
    .
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/15/george-bell-anglican-church-rushed-to-judgment-child-abuse-carlile-report
    .
    We all make mistakes, but the problem with Dhilo is that he acts out of cowardice. This man, Rev. N. J. Gnanaponrajah, long time Principal of St John’s, Jaffna, should surely have dealt with more severely. There are articles discussing his achievements, but that he was transferred out for groping a male teacher when they found themselves alone in the Principal’s office doesn’t get even a mention.
    .
    No, I don’t want to read any more of that, but all this looks like a classic cover-up.
    .
    https://www.facebook.com/TheAmericanCornerJaffna/posts/led-by-school-principal-rev-n-j-gnanaponrajah-english-teachers-at-st-johns-colle/705989226191012/
    .
    And the man is actually honoured.
    .
    https://echelon.lk/audacity-of-hope-in-a-broken-city/
    .
    While fellows like me get manhandled by guys like Balraj! Yet the Bishop can’t even be met by me.

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