Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith under attack after revealing move to normalise same-sex marriages in Sri Lanka

By Yohan Perera   

Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, is under fire by various individuals on social media after he revealed about a “sinister move” by certain organisations, with the support of some political leaders, to allow same-sex marriages in Sri Lanka. 

Speaking at a public gathering, Cardinal Ranjith claimed that certain international organisations, reportedly backed by political figures, are implementing programmes that enable young people to undergo gender transformation after being certified by psychiatrists, allowing them to marry a person of their own sex.

“Those who wish to change their gender can consult psychiatrists, who evaluate them and issue a certificate. This certificate allows them to disassociate from the gender they were born with. This certificate is recognised by the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, the Health Ministry endorses this sex change and apparently gives the green light for a person to obtain a fresh certificate indicating their new gender,” the Cardinal said.

“When we speak out against these developments, we are accused of violating human rights. However, promoting lifestyles such as homosexuality will erode the social norms that have been enriched by Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka.” 

However, he said people with different sexual orientations should not be harassed in any way.   

Certain individuals who uploaded posts on social media following the comments made by the Cardinal argued that the Supreme Court has endorsed the amendment to the penal code which was proposed by former MP Premnath Dolawatte in the form of a private members Bill in 2023. The Supreme Court had allowed it with its own amendments in 2023. Also, some individuals also argued that homosexuality is allowed in India, which is Sri Lanka’s neighbour. However, former Justice Minister Ali Sabri said back in 2023 that the then government was not going to legalise same-sex marriages.