Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, in a Lenten message, appealed to all Catholics in the country to create an environment that is safe for people of all faiths and nationalities. He was addressing the public during yesterday’s Ash Wednesday Holy Mass held at the Kochchikade St. Anthony’s Shrine.
The Archbishop said that the Sri Lankan Catholic community showed the world its integrity in the aftermath of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, following the footsteps of Jesus Christ in forgiveness. However, he said that he was displeased with the proceedings of the investigations launched into the attacks that claimed the lives of 269 people.
Cardinal Ranjith said the culprits behind the incident should be brought to book immediately, adding that such persons and or groups should not be allowed to emerge in the future. He said that the authorities must take the responsibility of preventing such incidents from happening again.
Furthermore, certain countries and external forces must not be allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of the country, the Cardinal said. He added that they were only looking to disrupt the unity between the country’s communities.
The Archbishop called on the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, and other communities in the country to join hands in establishing peace and harmony.
He added that the people in Sri Lanka should work together to solve the issues they face without allowing international parties to intervene.
