World YMCA Secretary General Carlos Madjri Sanvee joined YMCA Asia & Pacific General Secretary Nam Boo-Wan, Vice President Kishan Gunawardene and former President Felician Francis for a solidarity visit to YMCA Sri Lanka from 29-31 May, six weeks after the terror attacks that took place over Easter weekend.
The delegation met with local YMCA leaders including National General Secretary Charles Brownson and President Nirmal Fonseka, along with Dr Muriel Montenegro, Coordinator of Inter-faith Cooperation Forum (ICF). During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to pay their respects to the victims and offer condolences to the families, churches and people affected by the horrific event.
The group visited two churches involved in the attacks, St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya and Zion Church in Batticaloa, where they met with church leaders and witnessed some of the restoration work being done at the sites to rebuild worship halls.
The visit concluded in Colombo where the delegation met with YMCA Sri Lanka Executive Committee members and local YMCA leadership to discuss how the national movement can play a role in building a lasting peace among the various religious groups while building a stronger and safer community for all.