Right Reverend Emmanuel Thomas Savundaranayagam ( ta, இம்மானுவேல் தோமசு சௌந்தரநாயகம், si, තෝමස් සවුන්ද්‍රනායගම්; born 13 July 1938) is a

Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...

priest and former

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Bishop of Jaffna.

Early life and family

Savundaranayagam was born on 13 July 1938 in

Kayts Kayts ( ta, ஊர்காவற்துறை, translit=Ūrkāvaṟtuṟai'','' ), is one of the important villages in Velanai Island which is a small island off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka. There are number of othe ...

on the island of

Velanaitivu Velanai Island ( ta, வேலணை), also known as ''Leiden'' in Dutch, is a small island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the North of Sri Lanka. There are number of villages within the island such as Allaipiddy, Mankumpan, Velanai, Sa ...

in northern

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. He was educated at St. Anthony's College, Kayts and St. Patrick's College, Jaffna. He then studied at St. Martin's Seminary, Jaffna and National Seminary, Ampitiya (1957–64). Savundaranayagam has a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, ...

degree from the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

and a Diploma in Catechetics.

Career

Savundaranayagam was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

as a priest in December 1963. After his ordination he served as an assistant parish priest at St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna for few years. In January 1981 he was appointed

Bishop of Mannar The Diocese of Mannar ( la, Dioecesis Mannarensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese for north-western Sri Lanka, administered by the Bishop of Mannar, currently Fidelis Fernando. History The Diocese of Mannar was created on 24 January 1981 from p ...

and was ordained as a bishop in July 1981 at the

Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Mannar district of Sri Lanka. With a history of more than 400 years, the shrine acts as a center of pilgrimage and worship for Sri Lankan Catholics.S. J. Anthony FernandMadhu Chu ...

. He became Bishop of Jaffna in July 1992. He retired in October 2015. Savundaranayagam is a strong activist for Tamil rights in Sri Lanka and humanitarian efforts in what is sometimes called "

Tamil Eelam Tamil Eelam ( ta, தமிழீழம், ''tamiḻ īḻam''; generally rendered outside Tamil-speaking areas as தமிழ் ஈழம்) is a proposed independent state that many Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora as ...

". He had called for international intervention to stop the Sri Lankan conflict.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Savundaranayagam, Thomas 1938 births 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Sri Lanka Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Jaffna Roman Catholic bishops of Jaffna Living people People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka People of British Ceylon Pontifical Urban University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Mannar Sri Lankan Tamil activists Sri Lankan Tamil priests