(New York, 30 April 2008)—Senior religious leaders of diverse faiths from around the world—Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian—launched the groundbreaking Religions for Peace Inter-religious Council (IRC)–Sri Lanka in Kandy and war-torn Trincomalee on 28 April and 30 April 2008, respectively.

The conference was organized by Religions for Peace–International in partnership with its local affiliate, Religions for Peace–Sri Lanka, and the National Peace Council. The 22-member Religions for Peace IRC–Sri Lanka becomes the country’s most representative multi-religious body and includes such senior Buddhist leaders from the South and senior Tamil religious leaders from the North as Most Rev. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar. The Council will offer mediation, reject extremist tendencies, and educate the public on the positive, socially transformative power of multi-religious cooperation. The Council has begun building district-level IRCs in Kandy and Trincomalee.

“Sri Lanka has endured decades of violent conflict, and cooperation among the religious communities is vital for peace,” said Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General of Religions for Peace. “With the new Council, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim goodwill now has a channel for sustained cooperation.”

The international delegation at the meeting included members of the Religions for Peace World Council, His Holiness Tep Vong, Great SupremePatriarch, Kingdom of Cambodia, and Bishop Gunnar J. Stålsett, Moderator, Religions for Peace European Council of Religious Leaders; Religions for Peace Honorary Presidents Ms. Ela Gandhi, a granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi and Trustee of the Mahatma Gandhi Trust, and Dr. M. Din Syamsuddin, Chairman, Muhammadiyah; and Religions for Peace International Trustee Rev. Norio Sakai, Chairman Emeritus, Rissho Kosei-kai. They were supported by Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Religions for Peace Director of Inter-religious Council Development and Field Coordination.

Sri Lankan religious leaders included Most Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddharatha Maha Nayake Thero, Malwatte Maha Nikaya, Kandy; Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Maha Nayake Thero, Asgiri Maha Nikaya, Kandy; Karthikeja Santhirasegara Sarma, International Secretary, Hindu Priest Organization, Jaffna; Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Rizwe, President, All Ceylon Jamiyattul Ulama’s Association, Colombo; Neelakandan Kandiah, Honorary General Secretary, All Ceylon Hindu Congress; and Bishop Dr. Joseph Vianney Fernando, Bishop of Kandy, President, Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka.

Religions for Peace, in partnership with its affiliate in Sri Lanka and the National Peace Council, the country’s leading peace NGO, has facilitated private negotiations and a series of public consultations with senior leaders of major religious communities, the government and the LTTE. The milestones of Religions for Peace work in Sri Lanka include its facilitation in the issuance of a historic statement by Mahanayakes(Buddhist high priests) in support of peace, rejecting Sinhala Buddhist extremism, accepting Sri Lanka as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, and calling for solidarity from the international community. Religions for Peace has also since 2004 undertaken strategic multi-religious humanitarian projects, including the building of rain-fed water tanks as confidence building measures for Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim communities in Trincomalee and other border districts as a symbol of inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony. Furthermore, Religions for Peace held an international summit in Jaffna, the war-torn Northern city, in December 2007, to bring together 10 international and 50 Sri Lankan senior religious leaders from the North, East and South of the country.