Bishop of Colombo concerned over constitutional crisis

THE Bishop of Colombo, the Rt Revd Dhiloraj Canagasabey, has said that he is shocked and dismayed over the “arbitrary” removal of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minster from office, and the dissolution of its parliament. Ranil Wickremesinghe was removed from office three weeks ago by the country’s President, and replaced with Mahinda Rajapaksa, leading to a constitutional crisis. ACNS reported that Bishop Canagasabey said: “All these events showcase the sad depths to which ethical and moral standards have deteriorated in this country, despite our external show of religiosity.” In a letter on behalf of Colombo diocese, the Bishop described the President’s actions as appearing to be “a direct and blatant violation of the clear and express provisions of the constitution”.

More than 40 killed in cathedral attack

AN ATTACK on a cathedral in the Central African Republic last week left at least 40 people dead. The RC Sacred Heart Cathedral, in Aliandao, and an internally-displaced persons camp next to it, came under attack by armed assailants. The camp was razed to the ground during the assault. At least one priest, Fr Blaise Mada, the Vicar General of the diocese of Alindao, was killed, Vatican News reported. The attack was reportedly carried out by a Muslim rebel group, UPC (Unité pour la Paix en Centrafrique), in retaliation for the death of a Muslim man. The Vicar General of the archdiocese of Bangui, Fr Mathieu Bondobo, said: “Humanly, yes, we are sad; but this attack cannot be a threat to prevent the Church from fulfilling its mission. Indeed, the Church remains strong. And we, who are still alive, continue to carry on this work.”

 DANIELA TEJADAScorched earth: the view from the car park of St Aidan’s, Malibu, shows how close the California wildfires came to the church. At the time of going to press, 81 people had been confirmed dead and 700 were still missing, in the state’s deadliest ever wildfires. On Tuesday, smog from the fires reached the east coast