Bishop Swithin Fernando, former Bishop of the Diocese of Colombo, Church of Ceylon, passed away yesterday. He was made Archdeacon of Colombo in 1971 and consecrated Bishop of Colombo in January 1978.

The diocese covers a land area of 10,258.5 square kilometers ... The city, now a UNESCO heritage site, lies 205 kilometers north of the present capital Colombo in the North Central Province.