Colombo remembers the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks

A memorial Mass was held in the Sri Lankan capital for the victims of the 2019 attacks in the presence of clerics from different religions. “We condemn the actions taken so far to conceal certain facts,” said Card. Ranjith.

Colombo (Asia News) – Commemorations were held yesterday in the capital of Sri Lanka in memory of the victims of the Easter Sunday explosions of 2019.

A multi-religious service was held in the Galle Face Green, an urban park in Colombo, which for weeks has been the scene of protests against the administration of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, suicide bombers struck three Sri Lankan churches and a number of hotels, killing nearly 300 people and wounding more than 500.

Three years later, a memorial Mass for the victims was held at St Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo in the presence of Archbishop of Colombo, Card Malcolm Ranjith, the Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka Archbishop Brian Udaigwe, and various ambassadors representing the foreign victims.

After the liturgical service, Card Ranjith led the memorial ceremony, followed by the distribution of food to the poor. In his address, the prelate reiterated the need for justice.

“Intelligence operatives were familiar with those who took part in the attack,” the cardinal explained.

However, at the time, the president had the chief of the anti-terrorism division arrested. For Card Ranjith, this was an attempt to "somehow hide the true facts" as ascertained by the presidential commission and the parliamentary select committee that investigated the attacks.

“Similarly, the leader who rules the country today” has “ignored all the recommendations contained in the report of the presidential commission,” he added.

“We condemn the actions taken so far to conceal certain facts and prevent the full truth of the matter from being revealed, as the cries of the dead and wounded are being raised to the skies. I firmly believe that all those involved in this heinous crime will soon have to suffer the consequences of their sins.”

A prayer was also held in the afternoon at St Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, while a procession in memory of the victims was conducted in Negombo.

Several religious leaders expressed their closeness to the Catholic Church.

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