The Catholic Church on Wednesday rejected social media claims that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had prior knowledge of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, calling the allegations completely false and baseless, Ada Derana reported.
In a statement issued to media, the Media Spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo, Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, said the claims currently circulating online originated from remarks made by former Member of Parliament Harin Fernando before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter attacks in 2020.
The Archdiocese said those allegations had already been refuted in a media release issued on September 19, 2020 by three auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese, and that recent social media posts repeating the claim that the Cardinal had prior knowledge of the attacks had no factual basis and were entirely misleading.
The Church also dismissed related assertions that security agencies had prior information about the attacks which was communicated to the Cardinal, describing such suggestions as false. The statement said the circulation of such claims appeared aimed at undermining ongoing efforts to uncover the truth behind the bombings and obstruct investigations, and urged the public to refrain from sharing or believing unverified information.
The denial is the Archdiocese’s second public clarification this week. On June 17 the Church also denied claims that the Cardinal had requested the appointments of Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekara to senior security posts. The Archdiocese has separately said it will not seek to halt Easter Sunday investigations as the reopened probe widens, with the Attorney General formally naming retired Major General Suresh Sallay as a key driving force behind the attacks.
Source: Ada Derana — Catholic Church rejects claims Cardinal had prior knowledge of Easter Sunday attacks
