There is a growing awareness that religious groups and churches must have a special concern for promoting human rights, including inside their own organizations.

As in civil life, however, it is sometimes one thing to achieve rights on paper and quite another to ensure their respect in practice. The notification concerning the excommunication of Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, OMI, issued by the Holy See in January 1997 is a perfect case in point. In spite of the clear provisions of the Code of Canon Law requiring a judicial or quasi-judicial hearing in such a case, no such hearing was held.

In order to seek redress for Fr. Balasuriya as well as to work more generally for education on human rights within the Church, a number of Catholic lay people from the Asia-Pacific region recently announced the creation of a Taskforce for Justice in the Church (TJC).

Members of the group are now in the process of launching an appeal to Pope John Paul II to constitute an international tribunal to carry out a judicial review of Fr. Balasuriya’s case.

TJC members are Sanjeewa Liyanage (Hong Kong), Coordinator, Vincent Bulathsinghala (Sri Lanka), Basil Fernando, (Hong Kong), Stefan Gigacz (Australia), Ben Moraleda CSsR (Philippines), Regina Pyon Yeon-Shik (S. Korea).

Further information may be obtained by contacting:

Sanjeewa Liyanage, Coordinator,

Taskforce for Justice in the Church

Unit 4, 7/Floor, Mongkok Commercial Centre,

16 Argyle Street, Kowloon,Hong Kong.

Tel: +(852) 2698-6339, Fax: +(852) 2698-6367