3 March 2021 12:00 am
By Yohan Perera
The report of the Presidential Commission which probed Easter Sunday attacks had failed to find out who have influenced the investigations in order to save certain persons, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said yesterday.
Cardinal Ranjith told a press conference that the church had received information that some interested parties have influenced investigations in order to save certain forces. “We have received information that there were certain groups had inflicted undue influence on those who were investigated the attacks, in order to save certain persons and the commission report had failed to disclose this,” the Cardinal said.
“We have formed a team to study the Presidential commission report which includes Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo, Priests and few other experts. We will come up with an official stand on the commission report after the study. However, we can clearly say the report had failed to address the main requirement of finding out who masterminded the attack and who facilitated the attacks,” he added.
Also, he said the Catholic Church did not expect the commission to recommend banning any Buddhist organisation. Also, he said he had received only one volume of the report.
The Cardinal said both the previous and the present government also cannot wash its hands off this activity. “Do we elect politicians to secure power? Not at all, we elect them to mete out justice to people,” he said.
Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo Rev. Anthony Jayakody who also participated in the press conference elaborated on the Black Sunday which has been declared on March 7 said all Catholics have been asked to come to church wearing black on that day. A special prayer will be recited for the Easter Sunday victims on Sunday. “This will be the beginning of a series of protests,” he said.