Transforming the Deep-rooted Conflicts Between Diaspora Sinhalese and Tamil Roman Catholics in Toronto: A Forgiveness Framework Based on the Theology of Miroslav Volf

Abstract

Having observed the division between the diaspora Sri Lankan Sinhalese and Tamil Catholics in Toronto, my call to ministry came out of a deep concern for them and their children. The problem as I saw it was a superficial (ritualistic) religion and a lack of understanding of forgiveness, which seemed to perpetuate the conflict. My call to ministry prompted me to develop and engage in educational processes that aimed to encourage personal transformation to address this problem. Pope Francis, in his Evangelii Gaudium, said: “Genuine spiritual accompaniment always begins and flourishes in the context of service to the mission of evangelisation.” The Sri Lankan ethnic conflict between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils has a long history. The civil war that began in Sri Lanka in 1983 ended in 2009 with the genocide of Tamil civilians. Thousands had left the country and taken refuge in different parts of the world. One of the countries that welcomed many Sri Lankan refugees was Canada. The majority of the refugees settled in Toronto. Tamil refugees lived alongside Sinhalese immigrants, but each group had its own separate community life. These two ethnic groups were divided not only in Toronto, but also in other cities, such as Ottawa and Montreal. The problem was that the Sri Lankan diaspora Sinhalese and Tamil Catholics in Toronto could not come together to celebrate the Eucharist or participate in other religious activities together because of the legacy of the civil war. The Tamils wanted the Sri Lankan government to acknowledge accountability for the crimes committed against their community, and the Sinhalese blamed the Tamils for having caused the civil war. In spite of their common Catholic faith, neither group was able to forgive the other in order to heal and move on. It seemed their ethnic identities superseded their religious faith. My hypothesis is that the teaching Miroslav Volf’s concept of forgiveness, could open up avenues to motivate personal transformation, and that this will in turn helps to resolve the deeprooted conflict between the diaspora Sinhalese and Tamil Catholics. Throughout this thesis I argue that forgiveness is complex but possible and desirable. To be human is to be relational; it is important to be able to live in harmony and to communicate. I apply the theology of Volf because he himself struggled to forgive his oppressor and succeeded. I myself have taken a similar journey, challenging my biases and preconceived notions to open myself up to the path of transformation. The methodology is based on Richard Osmer’s model of practical theological interpretation. It is by its very nature interdisciplinary, and seeks to bring a religious dimension to bear on a situation in a way that leads to critical and transformative dialogue. Practical theology is not only interconnected with other disciplines, but is also related to the web of life in which ministry takes place. The thesis is guided by the four core tasks of practical theology as described by Osmer: What is going on? Why is this going on? What ought to be going on? and How might we respond? The data has been gathered using a questionnaire, one-on-one interviews and two focus group sessions. An equal number of participants from the two ethnic groups were given a teaching on forgiveness based on Volf. The questionnaire was administered before and after the teaching, and the responses were analysed to discover whether there was a change in the understanding of forgiveness pre- and post-teaching. Results showed that there was significant transformation for the majority of the participants. However, the study has only been conducted once, and would need to be replicated in order to confirm the findings.