Rameswaram: A total of 75 fishermen from this island town today attended the consecration ceremony of a church in Katchatheevu, an islet ceded by India to Sri Lanka in the 1970s, with the occasion marked by a sense of bonhomie amid the persisting dispute over fishing rights in the region.

According to the fishermen, who returned here this evening after the 10-hour long pilgrimage trip to St Antonys church, they were extended a warm reception by Sri Lankan authorities, church officials and also fellow fishermen from Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government has built the new church alongside a more than century-old church with which the fishermen from Rameswaram region have age-old ties.

Besides the fishermen, four priests and three nuns from here also took part in the ceremony. They travelled to Katchatheevu in three mechanised boats and were escorted by Indian Navy and Coast Guard personnel upto the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), officials said.

Following a letter by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the Central government had given its nod for participation of 100 fishermen pilgrims from Tamil Nadu in the consecration ceremony of the new church, but only 82 (including priests and nuns) had registered, India Today reported.

The ceremony, scheduled earlier for December 7, was postponed by the Sri Lankan government to December 23 following the demise of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Fishermen association leaders P Sesuraja and S Emerit said they were given a good reception and they also took up the matter of release of arrested fishermen and their boats.

“We were given a very good reception. On reaching Katchatheevu around 9 am, we were given tea and bread. After the ceremony, we were served lunch. The church has been built nicely. The whole islet has a fresh look like a tourist spot,” Emerit told PTI.

Around 250 Sri Lankan fishermen were present on the occasion and they all interacted well with their Tamil Nadu counterparts, he said.

He thanked the central and state governments for facilitating their participation in the ceremony.

Jaffna Bishop Justin Gnanaprakasam, Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray, Sri Lankan Navy Commander (Northern Province) AL De silva were present, Sesuraja said.

He said Cooray expressed hope that the issue of fishing rights in the Palk Bay would be addressed during the proposed talks to be held between representatives of India and Sri Lanka next month.

Emerit said Tamil Nadu fishermen were disappointed that the new church had been built without involving them as they had been offering worship at the old shrine for several decades.

The annual festival at the church is held during February and attended by fishermen from the state.

Emerit accused the Centre of not taking steps to repatriate the over 120 boats in Sri Lankan custody.