Sri Lanka’s Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith expresses hope for the country’s political and economic renewal under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s new socialist-leaning government, and demands the unresolved need for justice regarding the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 167 Catholics, demanding accountability for perpetrators and possible state complicity.
Newsroom (May 29, 2025, 09:45, Gaudium Press) In a sweeping interview with Fides news agency, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, expressed cautious optimism about Sri Lanka’s political transformation under its new socialist-led government while demanding long-overdue justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people, including 167 Catholics.
A Nation Reborn
Since the November 2024 elections, Sri Lanka has seen a dramatic shift in leadership, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration replacing what the cardinal called a “corrupt political class guilty of abuse and rights violations.”
“Hope is the right word,” said Cardinal Ranjith. “A government committed to the poor, to justice, and to legality has begun a new era.” He noted economic recovery efforts, including IMF-backed reforms and a resurgence in tourism, but cautioned that full stability “will take years.”
The Unhealed Wound: 2019 Easter Massacre
Despite progress, the cardinal emphasized that truth and accountability for the 2019 ISIS-linked bombings—which targeted three churches and three hotels—remain unresolved.
“President Dissanayake has promised a new investigation,” he said, welcoming a recently formed commission that has interviewed clergy. “We have always demanded truth, not cover-ups. The victims’ families await justice—including answers about state complicity.”
In a significant move, the Vatican has recognized the 167 slain Catholics as “Witnesses of the Faith of the 21st Century,” a designation announced during the Jubilee of Hope.
Church and State: A Fragile Trust
While praising the government’s “good faith” efforts, the cardinal stressed that the Church’s relationship with Sri Lankan institutions remains strained until the Easter attack plotters—including potential “sponsors within the state apparatus”—are prosecuted.
Meanwhile, the Church continues its social and educational missions, with dioceses across Sri Lanka marking the Holy Year through spiritual renewal programs. “We are bearers of hope—divine hope,” said Ranjith.
On Pope Leo XIV: A “Missionary” Pontiff
The cardinal also voiced confidence in the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, citing his “humble wisdom” and missionary background as assets for a Church navigating modernity’s challenges.
“Like Leo XIII, he understands that the Church must respond to today’s crises with both faith and courage,” Ranjith said.
The Road Ahead
As Sri Lanka rebuilds, Cardinal Ranjith’s message balances hope with vigilance—urging economic recovery and reconciliation, but insisting that without justice for the martyrs of 2019, true renewal cannot take root.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Fides
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