The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has urged authorities to ensure that the ongoing investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings proceeds without political interference, following the arrest of a former intelligence chief on allegations of conspiracy and aiding the attacks.
Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo, addressed a packed press conference at the archbishop’s residence on Feb. 26. He appealed for patience and called for the legal process to be allowed to take its course without obstruction from any quarter.
The appeal came a day after the arrest of retired Major General Suresh Sallay, who headed Sri Lanka’s military intelligence at the time of the coordinated suicide bombings on Easter Sunday 2019. The attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals, and injuring more than 500 others.
Two Catholic churches — St. Anthony’s Shrine and St. Sebastian’s Church — accounted for nearly two-thirds of the casualties, making the Christian community one of the hardest hit.
Church leaders reiterated that the rule of law must prevail, emphasizing that no individual, regardless of position or status, should be considered above the law. They stressed that anyone found responsible for criminal wrongdoing must be held accountable through a fair and impartial judicial process.
