Catholic Church criticises world’s tallest Christmas tree
Posted on December 25th, 2016
Courtesy News.com.au
SRI Lanka unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record despite constructions delays and a shorter-than-planned finished product.
The 73-meter (238-foot) artificial tree in capital Colombo is 18 meters (59 feet) taller than the current record holder, organisers said.
The tree’s steel and wire frame is covered with a plastic net decorated with more than one million natural pine cones painted red, gold, green and silver, 600,000 LED bulbs and topped by a six-meter tall shining star.
The tree costs $US80,000 and was criticised by the Catholic Church as a waste of money.” The church suggested that the funds better be spent on helping the poor.
A Sri Lankan family takes photographs standing near the enormous artificial Christmas tree.Source:AP
Hundreds of port workers and volunteers struggled for four months to put up the tree in time for the holidays. Work was suspended for six days in early December after Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith — representing the island nation’s 1.5 million Catholics — lambasted the project. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe responded to the criticism by saying the tree was not being built with public money, but with donations from individuals and private firms.
The Guinness World Records is yet to confirm if this is the tallest artificial Christmas tree. Currently, the record is held by a Chinese firm that put up a 55-meter tree-like tower of lights and synthetic foliage, ornaments and lamps in the city of Guangzhou last year.
Sri Lankan organisers said they wanted the tree to help promote ethnic and religious harmony in the Buddhist-majority island nation, where a long civil war ended in 2009 but reconciliation remains a challenge.
A Sri Lankan man takes a photo of a partially-constructed Christmas tree in Colombo on December 24.Source:AFP
This is just to show the world that we can live as one country, one nation,” said Arjuna Ranatunga, a former cricket player and the minister of ports and shipping. He said Sri Lanka still is still grappling with issues regarding religion, caste and race.
Minority Christian and Muslim communities complain of state-sponsored discrimination, and there are allegations of widespread abuses against minority ethnic Tamils both during and after the war.
December 25th, 2016 at 4:03 pm
I beleive money has come from KUDU business, that is why they are not revealing it.
December 26th, 2016 at 5:11 am
At last CHIEF PRELATES HAVE SPOKEN as MARIO once demanded.
Chief prelates must take the lead.
Good.
https://lankacnews.com/%e0%b6%b8%e0%b6%bd%e0%b7%8a%e0%b7%80%e0%b6%ad%e0%b7%94-%e0%b6%85%e0%b7%83%e0%b7%8a%e0%b6%9c%e0%b7%92%e0%b6%bb%e0%b7%92-%e0%b6%b1%e0%b7%8f%e0%b7%84%e0%b7%92%e0%b6%b8%e0%b7%92%e0%b7%80%e0%b6%bb%e0%b7%94/
They demand CHANGES to 13 amendment.
December 26th, 2016 at 1:36 pm
Arjuna Ratnatunga’s rationale of “showing the world we can live as one” for the Christmas tree is a lot of unvarnished HOGWASH!
In reality, this is the Christian Community flexing it’s muscles and showing off its seizure of governmental power through the Yamapalanaya government.
They are not “showing the world”, but they are “showing the Sinhala Buddhists” what is to come in the days ahead! That is the message.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith was afraid to send that message to us, and he wanted it stopped for that reason, rather than the diplomatic reason he gave “as waste of money that should be spent on helping the poor”.
He was and is right on both counts.
Make no mistake; the Sinhala Buddhist Modayas who voted for the Yamapalanaya are being taught many IMPORTANT lessons we will NEVER FORGET!
December 27th, 2016 at 6:34 am
This is only a point scoring absurd project for his presidential ambitions
by traitor arjunaya durjanaya. The pea-brained barrel man doesn’t know he has become a hate fiture in Sri Lanka
and won’t be able secure a mps job next time round let alone becoming the president. Now we wish we never won
the world cup since it gave the opportunity to be a part of for the traitor durjanaya arjunaya to destroy Mother Lanka.
Traitor arjunaya durjanaya started the project to score points from the church in order to achieve his ambition of
becoming the president one day. So the traitor idiot started the project. Of course
traitor chief die hard catholic token Buddist Batalande Wadakaya pol pot r@nil wickramaSinhalakiller gives the full
blessings. Points for durjanaya from the pathala man of course.
Then crafty cardinal comes along and say it was a waste of money when you can use it to feed the poor. So the
Sinhala modayas are full of praise. Arjunaya pressed the button. Stop! stop! What nice people all the Sinhala
modayas think. Then Batalande wadakaya comes along with his catholic buddy karu paiya and say it is some
other money. Of course this other money is different. They can’t be used for any other purpose. So the crafty
cardinal back off. Durjanaya pressed the button. Bingo! Everybody is happy. Another nail in the Buddhist coffin.
Whole world going to speak about it. Points galore for the church. Meanwhile Sinhala modayas including pin bath gilamin Buddhism
destroying thibbote devidaththara are over the moon. Sri Lanka, a paradise. Fools and traitors paradise!
Any chance the traitor arjunaya durjananya putting up a lantern to celebrate Vesak next year. No chance in hell.
No points to gain, no point doing it!
December 27th, 2016 at 7:13 am
This phony Christmas tree (no disrespect to Christians..), reflects everything that is wrong in the Sri Lankan society today.
Sri Lankans and their dumb-ass leaders got their priorities all wrong. Some of these newly-rich Lankans just want to show off by spending money on useless and artificial things. They don’t care about religions or good moral values anymore. They worship money and power, and will do anything to make money by hook or crook, just like the corrupted politicians, such as Arjuna Ranatunga. They are all busy sucking the country and its treasury to the bone.
It is truly pathetic to see this country is heading in the wrong direction, thanks to the stupidity of the Sinhala-Buddhist majority, and their inherent inability to see the big picture…