COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Catholics in Colombo have sent 43 life-size statues of the Way of the Cross to the war-damaged Our Lady of Madhu shrine in northern Sri Lanka. Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar diocese declared that the new statues for the Way of the Cross 'will fulfil the long felt need of devotees who gather in the thousands. They will be a symbol of unity for Catholics who have been separated' by the long war.'
The 400-year-old Marian shrine is venerated by millions from all over the country. Pilgrimages were stopped for many years on security grounds because of the Civil War.