Hundreds of religious Catholics and Sri Lankans of all ethnicities participated. The protesters formed a human chain and again demanded the truth about the terrorist attacks and justice for the victims. The apostolic nuncio said that the country has the blessing of Pope Francis.
Colombo () – Thousands of Sri Lankans, including many Catholics, marched together to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attacks on April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday. During the celebrations they attacked three churches – two Catholic and one Protestant – and four hotels; more than 250 people lost their lives and more than 500 were injured.
On the occasion of the fourth anniversary, the protesters yesterday again asked the Sri Lankan government to discover the leaders of the attack. The country’s Catholic Church, led by Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, and the families of the victims have long raised doubts and concerns about the slow pace of the investigation, accusing the government of hiding the truth for profit. politicians.
Thousands of people, including Catholic clergy, lined up in silent protest on both sides of the main road linking St Anthony’s Shrine in Kochchikade, Colombo, with St Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya.
Dressed in black and white and holding hands to form a Jana Paura, a human chain, the protesters held up banners reading: ‘Justice has not been served for the victims’, ‘Where is the intellectual author of the Easter Sunday attacks?’, ‘Dirty politics must end’, ‘We continue to watch until justice is done’. At 8.45 the bells rang and two minutes of silence were observed.
At 6:00 p.m. a mass was celebrated in the Katuwapitiya church, followed by a prayer march to the Kochichikade church, in which priests, nuns, young people from the archdiocese and relatives of the victims participated.
“We have organized this human chain to show that our people are more powerful than their politics,” said Father Jude Chrishantha, press officer for the Colombo diocese. “We ask the government to listen to the message that comes from the silent hearts of the I see that people are not only asking for justice for the Easter attacks but also for solutions for our country, which is sinking because of this shameful policy,” added the priest.
Cardinal Ranjith said that “a new and transparent investigation is needed to find out why the repeated warnings prior to the attacks were not taken seriously, to understand why the suicide bomber who blew himself up in Dehiwela was allowed to act, why he was not arrested. A new investigation must be done to find answers to these questions.”
Apostolic Nuncio Brian Udaigwe said that Sri Lanka has the full blessing of Pope Francis in its efforts to bring justice to those affected by the attacks.
So far, two Muslim groups have been accused of being responsible for the attacks, but no one has been convicted. In January, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruled that then-President Maithripala Sirisena’s negligence had led to the bombings and ordered him to pay compensation to the families of the victims.
