Allow devotees to join church consecration: Tamil Nadu

In a Demi-Official letter to Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar, State Chief Secretary P Rama Mohana Rao also requested the Centre to arrange to provide necessary protection and assistance to the pilgrims from Tamil Nadu. He said the District Collector of Ramanathapuram has forwarded a copy of the representation received from Sahayaraj, the Parish Priest, St Joseph’s Church, Vercode, Rameswaram, stating that about 100 devotees from the state were keen to attend the consecration function of the newly constructed Church building of the St Antony’s Church at Katchatheevu on December 7 and sought necessary arrangements for their participation. Rama Mohana Rao said the St. Antony’s Church holds considerable cultural and religious significance for the fisherfolk of the coastal districts. 

“Every year the annual festival of the St Antony’s Church is attended by a large number of fishermen pilgrims from Tamil Nadu,” he pointed out. He also said that when there was a proposal to demolish and reconstruct the church at Katchatheevu, the fishermen from Tamil Nadu had represented that the reconstruction should be taken up jointly by India and Sri Lanka in view of the joint heritage of fishermen from both sides.