Cardinal slams President’s decision to involve SL in US led Red Sea Op

Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith  

• Criticises Govt. for overlooking domestic concerns while involving itself in a Middle East conflict
• Says SL has leaders who are indifferent to starving countrymen but are gearing up to join war 
• Stresses Catholic Church is not agitating for disorder or anarchy but it has a right to demand that justice is done
• Emphasises it is now time for active protest rather than remaining silent as 2024 is an election year 

In yet another scathing attack against the Government, the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Sunday slammed the decision made by the current Government led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to send in two Sri Lanka Navy vessels to join the Red Sea operation launched by the US and its allies to safeguard merchant vessels from attacks by Houthi rebels

Ranjith criticised the Government for overlooking domestic concerns while involving itself in a Middle East conflict. “We have leaders who seem indifferent to the hunger of our people, yet they are gearing up for a conflict in the Middle East,” he said. 

The Archbishop made these comments during a sermon at All Saints Church in Borella, commemorating the second anniversary of the discovery of a grenade on the church premises that sparked a major controversy at the time. 

“It is boastful to announce that we will join an international armada with two small ships while the people here are starving. People are going through serious difficulties, these leaders are hardly concerned, and they only want to enjoy themselves at the cost of the taxpayer” he said. 

The Archbishop said the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is not agitating for disorder or anarchy in the country but it has a right to demand that justice is done. “But where is justice when they manipulate incidents like the grenade incident?” he asked. 

Ranjith emphasised that the time has come for active protest rather than remaining silent. “In this election year, we have an opportunity to decide whether these corrupt politicians will persist in governing our country or if a new group will be entrusted with steering our nation towards the future,” he added.

He also accused the authorities of failing to find the real perpetrators who placed a grenade inside the church, who planned the Easter Sunday attacks and those who have harassed the media in the past.

Commenting on the grenade incident, Ranjith said the grenade had been set up to explode on the day. He said the police arrested four innocents including the sacristan of the Church who had picked the grenade up. “These four had no idea what a grenade was. This is why the sacristan picked it up innocently. He did not understand it was a grenade” he said. 

The Archbishop remarked that the Minister in Charge of the Police and the Secretary of Defence hastily pointed fingers at the four individuals without conducting a thorough investigation or reviewing the CCTV footage at that time. “This is how justice works in this country. Big shots can remain free even after committing a murder. There is no rule of law. There is only the law of the powerful,” he alleged. 

He urged the Government to launch a comprehensive investigation into the incident but expressed scepticism about its execution. Ranjith stated, “We are yet to witness justice being served for those responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks. The perpetrators behind the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda and the killing of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga remain unknown. It appears that these critical issues have been overlooked, with authorities seemingly prioritising international concerns over resolving domestic challenges in the country.”