The Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said a “strange culture” is emerging in Sri Lanka, not as a result of government policy but through the actions of certain institutions.

The Cardinal claimed that a letter had recently been sent to a Tourism Authority requesting permission to promote LGBTQI tourism and related businesses in Sri Lanka.

“Do the rulers of our country know that such letters are being sent? Do they realize our children are being influenced in this way? Our greatest resource is our children, and they must be protected,” he said.

Cardinal Ranjith stressed that people born homosexual should be respected and their rights safeguarded, but cautioned against normalizing homosexuality as a lifestyle.

“We cannot allow our healthy children to become victims of those with homosexual needs,” he said.

He also criticized a proposal to distribute condoms to children under a sex education program. “Is this America? This is Sri Lanka. We do not need such measures,” he said.

The Cardinal further alleged that there were plans to legalize same-sex marriage in Sri Lanka, which he said was incompatible with Sri Lanka’s cultural and religious foundations.

“Our culture is rooted in Buddhist heritage, and any effort to undermine it cannot be permitted,” he said. (Newswire)

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A letter of demand will be sent to National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa, requesting a correction to a statement made regarding Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.

The statement in question was made during a television interview and later published on a news website, suggesting that Cardinal Ranjith’s absence from the 2019 Easter service in Kochchikade may have been due to ‘divine warning’.

The Media Spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini addressing a media briefing said the remarks misrepresented the Cardinal and could lead to a misunderstanding.

According to Fr. Gamini, Weerawansa implied that the Cardinal may have had prior knowledge of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Weerawansa had stated that, for the first time in history, the Cardinal did not attend Easter Sunday morning Mass on the day of the attacks, despite having done so in previous years. Weerawansa had also mentioned the Cardinal resumed participation in Easter Mass services after 2019.

Fr. Gamini refuted these claims, stating they were false and was completely baseless. He clarified that the Cardinal traditionally conducts a midnight Easter Mass, considered the main Easter celebration for Catholics in Sri Lanka.

In 2019, the Cardinal held this midnight service at St. Lucia’s Cathedral in Kotahena, consistent with Catholic custom. Fr Gamini added that the Cardinal generally does not lead morning services on Easter Sunday.

Fr. Gamini emphasized that while freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, it does not extend to spreading falsehoods. He confirmed that legal steps are being taken to issue a letter of demand to Weerawansa, requesting a formal correction of the inaccurate claims. (Newswire)

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Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has raised fresh concerns over the investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, stating that justice remains elusive more than five years after the attacks that killed over 250 people.

Addressing a service at St. Anthony’s Shrine in Kochchikade, the Archbishop of Colombo said the failure to identify and prosecute the perpetrators is a continuing injustice to the victims. He criticized the investigations as “haphazard,” adding that this approach disrespects those who lost their lives.

He expressed disappointment with the current government for failing to establish the promised special prosecutor’s office to handle the case. While acknowledging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s efforts to address corruption, he said the government’s failure to deliver justice for the Easter Sunday attacks remains a serious shortcoming.

Cardinal Ranjith alleged that certain factions are attempting to undermine the investigation. He referenced an affidavit from a U.S. government official, which identified several Muslim extremists as masterminds behind the attacks, and called for further investigation into possible foreign involvement and influence.

He also pointed to the lack of progress on implementing over 200 recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the bombings. “No political leader or party has taken steps to act on these recommendations, nor has a proper mechanism been introduced,” he said.

Cardinal Ranjith further criticized the Attorney General’s Department for not pursuing legal action against former high-ranking officials, including a former president, prime minister, and senior police and security officials, despite the commission’s recommendations. (Newswire)

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