The Catholic Church of Sri Lanka has organized several religious celebrations and is preparing to declare martyrs the faithful who died in the attacks on three churches and two hotels. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith reiterated that he had lost confidence in the government's investigation.
Colombo () – On the fifth anniversary of the Easter attacks, the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka has organized several religious celebrations and is preparing to declare martyrs the faithful who died in the attacks on three churches and two hotels. According to the most recent investigation into the tragedy, more than 300 people, including 40 foreigners and 45 children, lost their lives on April 21, 2019, the worst massacre in Sri Lanka since the civil war.
During a press conference on April 17, the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, reiterated once again that he had no confidence in the government's investigation. “So far, those in power and also the opposition have not done anything significant to discover what was behind the attacks, which is why we have lost confidence in the system,” the cardinal said. “We will appeal to the Lord to obtain justice for our people,” he added.
Today, after the evening mass, a procession will take place from the shrine of St. Anthony in Kochchikade to the church of St. Sebastian in Katuwapitiya, which will pass through the main street of the capital during the night. The apostolic nuncio, the resident representative of the United Nations in Sri Lanka, and numerous leaders of other religions are also expected for the commemoration to be held tomorrow morning.
Other celebrations are also planned for tomorrow, April 21, including another procession to the Katuwapitiya shrine. “All the names of those who died in the blasts in the churches of Katuwapitiya, Kochchikade and Zion will be handed over to the apostolic nuncio during the commemoration ceremony that will take place on Sunday,” Cardinal Ranjith later announced.
According to Catholic tradition, victims must first be declared “heroes of the faith” before gaining recognition as “martyrs.”
Meanwhile, a group of 32 organizations, brought together in the “Easter Justice Struggle People's Collective”, have launched a new campaign to call for justice. The organizers explained to that they will ask people to sign a petition to present to the government.
