Easter Attacks: Cardinal Urges Thorough Investigation

COLOMBO (News 1st); His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, has voiced strong criticism of politicians and leaders who have recently begun discussing the Easter Sunday attacks after a prolonged period of silence.

"These days, our politicians and leaders, who have remained silent for so long and ignored our requests, are suddenly eager to talk about the Easter Sunday attacks. They sit in Parliament without mentioning a word about it, hindering our efforts. Now, they are questioning the whereabouts of the commission reports, acting as if they are the new heroes of the Easter Sunday attacks. This is not what we have been asking for all this time," Cardinal Ranjith stated during a service at the Infant Jesus Church in Polgahawela, Ragama.

Cardinal Ranjith emphasized the public's right to know the truth about the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 274 individuals, including Buddhists, Muslims, and people of various nationalities who were in the churches.

"We still do not know who was behind the Easter Sunday attacks. The public has a right to know. Who was responsible for the deaths of 274 of our brothers and sisters, including Buddhists, Muslims, and people of various nationalities who were in our churches? We need to know the truth," he said.

He pointed out that while seven Muslim extremists carried out the attacks, there were others who knew about it and did nothing to prevent it. "More importantly, who provided the explosives to these seven individuals? Who trained them to make bombs? Who gave them the instructions and the means to carry out these attacks? We need to know who was behind this," he added.

The Cardinal also highlighted that the Catholic Bishops' Conference has repeatedly called for a fair investigation and that evidence continues to emerge, suggesting a larger ploy behind the attacks. "Without investigating these pieces of evidence, it is difficult to reach a fair conclusion. We do not want to accuse innocent people, but we have the right to know the truth about who was behind this," he stated.

Cardinal Ranjith criticized the previous government's handling of the investigation, noting that two committees were appointed, but their reports merely reiterated the recommendations of the Presidential Commission. 

He questioned the need for another committee to write the same recommendations and pointed out that the committee suggested legal action against two senior officials working closely with the government.

"The government wants to manipulate the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks for their own purposes, but we are not ready to accept that. We need the truth. We need a thorough investigation to find out what really happened. The leader of this country has promised us this, and we are watching closely to see if he fulfills that promise. We hope that soon, the truth about the Easter Sunday attacks will be revealed," Cardinal Ranjith concluded.