A section of the press has given much prominence to certain statements made by a section of the Maha Sangha about the presence of nuns with a cross at Dambulla temple area at the satyagraha against the building of a tourist hotel in the catchment area of the Kandalama tank.
Catholics and Muslims joined in the protest because it is a matter that affects the whole country and not only the Buddhists, and all those who were present there should not be treated as anti-Government groups.
In this protest followers of three major religions clearly demonstrated their religious amity and the fact that they could join hands on matters of national importance irrespective of religious differences. This is a very healthy sign that augurs well for the country.
When Catholics participate in functions in Buddhist temples or when Catholic dignitaries visit the Nayaka Theras, they wear the cross as usual and this has never been a bone of contention. When Queen Elizabeth visited the Dalada Maligawa, most sacred to Buddhists, she did not remove the cross she was wearing!
If it is alright for VVIP's to go to churches, mosques and kovils, participate in religious observances and receive blessings there cannot be anything wrong in the presence of Catholics with the cross in the temple area.
What is most significant is that neither the Buddhist public, the Maha Nayakas of the three Nikayas nor the various Budhist organizations have made any protest in this regard. It is only a small, insignificant section, who probably have an axe to grind, who are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill or, rather, nothing. They should remember that the country is ridden with so many problems, too numerous to mention, that it can ill afford religious disharmony.