The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1958-05-02
Garden Of Eden:
Soviets Are Making
Headway In Ceylon
By Erik v. Kuehnelt-Leddihn

For a long time, especially during the Middle
Ages, the notion prevailed that the Garden of Eden
had perhaps not been in Mesopotamia, but in Ceylon.
Situated not far north from the Equator this is in
deed an island of great natural beauty.
1t was a British Colony until after the war, then
it became a free member of the Commonwealth, but
since the last elections, about 10 months ago, the shad-
ows of Moscow have been frightening over the fair
isle.
Again this is a country with a partly Catholic
history. Soon after / landed | wandered through
churches, ~rectories, Catholic bookstores, Summaries,
and schools. | was most painfully aware OF the fact
that we Catholics are citizens of a truly Celestial
City, members of a Mystical Body, but how few
among us have even a remote idea how worldwide
our Church is, what forms she assumes throughout
the globe, what sufferings she has to go through,
what problems to face.
| am sure if | write the words "The Church in
Ceylon,' it will hardly ring a bell in the minds of
any of my readers. 1t does now in mine now that
| have seen from a plane Adams Peak and Adams
Bridge, now that | have strolled through the streets
Of Colombo and Handy.
The Faith spread in Colombo Immediately after
the arrival of the Portuguese-Asia's Catholic salt
in the 10th century. In their gentle and persuasive
way Portuguese missionaries and laymen converted
a number of the local inhabitants, Sinhalese and
Tamils who had come over from India.
Then the Dutch came and conquered Ceylon
while the Portuguese motherland came under Span
ish rule and was powerless to protect the faithful.
The Catholic Church was outlawed and Catholics
were prosecuted. Then, from India came an Indian
o~ratorian, Father Vaz, disguised and working under
ground to keep the newly planted Faith alive.
The Dutch and the subsequent British rule was
never able to exterminate the Catholic religion.
AS a matter of fact, many of the Dutch descendants,
the >co-called "Burghers' intermarried with the
Portuguese and embraced the Catholic Faith.
In spite of their growth in numbers and their
wonderful piety and loyalty to the Church the Cath
ohcs are only a minority in Ceylon-even if a highly
respected one. Their schools are matchless and they
are eagerly sought after for positions of trust and
responsibility.
The majority, though, is still composed of
IL. ,~J coroo uipJrictC And cipoo ip1nnorIppf
Ceylon is a democracy, which means free and secret
elections, the Catholics, naturally, cannot make them
selves felt politically.
AS a matter of fact, they can and actually did be-
come the target of a common
tionalist front. The old principle again prevailed IL
need be, the enemies of the Church will always enter
a coalition to fight the Rock, to fight the Church.
And this even happened in Ceylon, that Garden OF
Eden. full of the most beautiful flowers and birds,
the land of elephants, gorgeous temple, and butter
flies.
Ceylon's first independent government was mod
crate and levelheaded. Then the Buddhists priests and
monks decided that the Catholic schools-by far the
best in the country--were a menace to the national
tradition" ~
Irving to cover up their own weakness, their
own low scholastic standards, and their lack of vo-
cations, they were looking for an enemy elsewhere
and found it in the Catholic Church. (Only recently
a Buddhist, a Mr.. Fonseka, cried out that if the
Buddhists do not rally the nation will fall a prey to
christianity and nihilism') So the Buddhists warm
ly supported Mr.. Bandaranaike's leftist party which
won the elections and which now is nellDent upon 9
process of naturalization.
Yet, since Mr.. Bandaranaike Ga graduate of a Brit
ish University where he got his socialist views) is
to say the very least - Indifferent to all religion, and
speculations of the Buddhists went awry.
Still, the present government, which has ma
tionalized all means of transportation, now wants to
"nationalize' (which means to steal the %non-puble
schools and hospitals.
Added to this are the intimate ties with the Soviet
Union and the peoples Democracies." When ! arrived
in Colombo a huge Soviet delegation stayed in the
swank Gale Face Hotel.
When | checked in at the Queens Hotel. in Handy
T stumbled upon a Rumanian Cultural delegation
! consisting of 48 heads. All these are ominous signs
for those who can read them.