The bomb blasts triggered by the suicide bombers killing over 250 persons including nearly 50 children and 44 foreign visitors to Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday occurred when the head of State and Minister of Defence was away and there was no acting minister of defence.
Authorities of intelligence and national security were caught by surprise even though sensitive information had flowed into government sources from April 4 and thereafter. Unfortunately, those who should have been concerned over a sudden disastrous occurrence seemed incompetent. They did not have even a political maturity and professionalism to handle the responsibilities incumbent on the positions they held. Communication and coordination were completely neglected.
They were insensitive to informative incoming vital information. This made them thoughtless about the magnitude and the consequences of any unexpected adversity. They did not have the mental capacity to pay serious attention to a surprising calamity and were careless about taking any protective measures.
And so, Easter Sunday this year turned out to be the day of the greatest tragedy and a day of mourning for all the Catholic and Christian people as well as for all people of Sri Lanka. The enormous disaster with so many deaths and injured with thousands of people grieving and mourning was adversity so unprecedented that it could have led to a chaotic social upheaval. As the main attacks were on two big churches of the Archdiocese, the Archbishop of Colombo became very concerned.
BISHOPS’ FIRM AND CLEAR GUIDANCE
Even as the tragedy unfolded, there was no State person to take charge of managing the unforeseen situation of the catastrophic Easter Sunday morning. As the suicide bombers caused the deaths of hundreds, injured several other hundreds in two big Churches in the Archdiocese, the pastors in charge of the Churches naturally informed His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Chief Pastor to whom is entrusted the whole community of the archdiocese’s Catholic people and priests who owe obedience to him. Reverent subjection and respect to Bishops with divinely given pastoral authority is integral to Catholic life. And so, quickly grasping the high sensitivity of the tense situation the Cardinal confidently asked his faithful facing deep sadness and grief that had suddenly befallen on them to be calm and peaceful and not to retaliate with revenge towards any member of the Muslim community because of the actions of a few extremists.
In the absence of State leadership, the Cardinal’s call to his flock echoed throughout to all the Bishops, priests and Catholic people and all other citizens of Sri Lanka. Thus we did not have to see as on past occasions the eruption of massive social upheaval and pandemonium with people acting in retaliatory vengeance.
The office and responsibility of a Catholic Bishop require that he be concerned not only about the Church in his diocese but also of the universal Church. The word, mission and spirit of Jesus Christ had from the very beginning the capacity to reach out and relate with relevance and meaning to every human being and all mankind. Bishops show that the Catholic faith comprehends and condenses a vision that touches every aspect of life. Though many Catholics are passive, Catholics’ faith attitude of the love of God and love of neighbour does engage every Catholic with a concern for the Church, for the secular world and all its people. And the Bishops and all the priests had to remind their people the obligation to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ on not being revengeful, on forgiveness, on the love of enemies and love of neighbour. They could not do otherwise and remain as Catholics, the Bishops have said very firmly.
The leadership of the Cardinal, the Bishops and the priests were a clear reminder of what the response of Christians should be after the tragic happenings and a sobering guidance to all the people in the immediate context of a malfunctioning in the State intelligence and national security apparatus and thereafter creaking words and actions of the politicians at the summit of power.
WARPED SENSE OF POLITICIANS’ JUDGEMENTS
In any case, the politicians greedy for power are not happy with tranquillity and peace prevailing after a big tragedy like that of Easter Sunday. They wish to muddy the water and fish in it. They are not intelligent enough to foresee the repercussions of their foolish actions on the relationships of various communities of people, the good name of Sri Lanka, her economy, the adverse impact on our trade and markets abroad, the backlash on our expatriate workers abroad especially in the Middle East and the sad consequences their dependents may have to face in the event of instability of their employment due to untoward happenings in the country. Irrational, cowardly, racist and bankrupt politicians seem to be behind the troubles caused in Chilaw, Negombo, Minuwangoda and Kuliyapitiya.
The top politicians’ sense of judgement and reasoning seem to get warped in times of crisis ego-absorbed as they are with selfishness and lust for power. The people need to be prudent and sober and act with calm restraint following the advice of wise religious leaders. The leadership of religious leaders has relegated the politicians and candidates for the presidency to an uncomfortable discomfiture. The citizens exercising their franchise at the presidential and parliamentary elections need to elect an altogether new and accountable set of proven wise representatives to take charge of the destinies of Sri Lanka.
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