The Archdiocese of Colombo has restated its commitment to securing justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings while making clear that it does not support the use of the death penalty.
In a statement issued by the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archdiocese said it remains in “total solidarity” with the victims and will continue to press for the identification of the mastermind or masterminds of the attacks and all parties associated with them.
”Inadmissible” under Church teaching
The statement said capital punishment is inadmissible under Paragraph 2267 of the 2018 revised Catechism of the Catholic Church, on the grounds that it violates human dignity. The Catholic Church therefore does not agree with the imposition of the death penalty, it said.
At the same time, the Archdiocese said it has full confidence in the independence of Sri Lanka’s judiciary and does not intend to interfere with its deliberations or its decisions.
The Church is not seeking revenge, the statement added, citing the late Pope St. John Paul II’s call for forgiveness while justice, accountability and public order are upheld through established legal systems.
The Archdiocese also called for sustained efforts to prevent organised or extremist attacks on places of worship and other locations, saying authorities have a responsibility to take all possible measures to stop such incidents.
Context
The statement follows the Colombo Trial-at-Bar’s decision on July 31 to sentence former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando to death, by a 2-1 majority, over criminal negligence in failing to act on intelligence warnings before the bombings. The attacks on churches and hotels on 21 April 2019 killed more than 260 people.
Sri Lankan courts continue to impose capital punishment for the gravest offences, but the country has maintained a moratorium on executions for decades, with no prisoner put to death since 1976.
Cardinal Ranjith, who has been among the most persistent voices demanding a full accounting for the attacks, was briefed by government ministers on judicial and prison reform plans earlier this month.
Sources: Ada Derana.
