Still unable to come to grips with the Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 Christian worshippers in 2019, the Catholic Church is now depending on Divine intervention to mete out justice to the victims and surviving family members after all attempts to get to the bottom of the tragedy have failed.
Ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who the Catholic Church has branded as the mastermind of the bombings of three churches, thrived on the mass killings and raked in 6.9 million votes to win the election promising justice but was ousted on a popular people’s revolt a year later in the aftermath of economic hardships and shortages.
The Catholic Church attributes Rajapaksa’s dismissal to Divine intervention after he failed to keep to his promise and now await the same fate to befall another former President Maithripala Sirisena who was the head of state when the bombings took place and did very little or nothing to establish the identity of the mastermind although he created another political stir two months ago when remarked he knew who was responsible.
But the Catholic Church sees Sirisena as having booked his place in eternal damnation.
“Gotabaya Rajapaksa faced Divine justice, but Sirisena will not have to flee the country and will end up in hell. So, it will be better for him (Sirisena) to go overseas than go the hell”, said Fr. Krishantha Jude Fernando, official spokesman of the Catholic Church.
The Parliament debate on the Easter bombings took another twist when Industries Minister Chamara Sampath remarked that the tragedy was an unwanted marriage (Magula) thrust upon the government.
But his remarks have been construed as insulting to the victims and Fr. Krishantha said Minister Chamara Sampath’s outburst left a bad taste although the “unwanted marriage” was savoured to the fullest by Rajapaksa to win the presidency.
“It is an insult on the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings to say their deaths were an unwanted marriage. In fact it was a well accepted marriage fit for a king that Rajapaksa relished to become the President”, said Fr. Krishantha addressing a media conference.
He also lambasted the Minister for claiming that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had requested Pope Francis for an extension of his pastoral functions saying that the Vatican is well aware of the status of high ranking church clergymen in the Catholic Church until they reach the age of 80 and their status reviewed thereafter.
Cardinal Ranjith was made a Cardinal in 2010 and celebrated his 76th birthday last November.
