The Archdiocese of Colombo clarifies that Rev. Father Jude Krishantha’s call for the death penalty against former SIS Chief Nilantha Jayawardena was a personal opinion, not the official stance of the Catholic Church. The Church reaffirms its opposition to capital punishment and urges full implementation of the Easter Sunday Commission recommendations.
In a key clarification issued today (July 21), the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka officially distanced itself from remarks made by Rev. Father Jude Krishantha, Director of Public Communications, calling for the death penalty for former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Chief, DIG Nilantha Jayawardena.
The clarification was delivered by Rev. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, Director of Communications of the Archdiocese of Colombo, who stated that the remarks made by Father Jude were his personal opinion and do not represent the stance of the Catholic Church either in Sri Lanka or globally.
“Father Jude informed us that what he expressed on Sunday was his personal opinion. The Father expressed regret about it. There is no problem in this regard,” Father Cyril Gamini said.
He reiterated the global position of the Catholic Church on capital punishment. “The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and the global Catholic Church do not endorse the death penalty,” he emphasized.
This comes after Father Jude Krishantha made headlines for demanding capital punishment for Nilantha Jayawardena, who was recently dismissed by the National Police Commission (NPC) for his failure to act on intelligence before the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed over 260 people.
The NPC’s decision was based on recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks and a verdict issued by the Supreme Court.
While acknowledging the public’s demand for justice, Father Cyril Gamini added, “We hope that all the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission will be implemented. We hope that more information will be revealed through the investigations into the Easter Sunday bombings.”
The Catholic Church, which has been vocal in its quest for accountability in the Easter Sunday attacks, continues to push for transparency, full justice, and the proper legal process, but within the ethical framework the Church upholds.
Dear All, We should not reserve opinions when murderers and conspirators live freely. We know the death sentence limitations in Sri Lanka. අපි දන්නවා මරණ දණ්ඩනය සීමාව. එසේ කීමෙන් පියද තුමා අදහස් කළ දේ වල් තේරුම් ගැනීමට නොහැකි ම්ලේචර්න ජතාවක්.