Pope Francis has urged Sri Lankan authorities to reveal the identity of those responsible for the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing.
Catholic leaders from the island allege the bombings was a plot to influence the election outcome in favour of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The Pope met with a delegation of the family of victims and survivors in Italy and delivered an address.
“Please, out of love for justice, out of love for your people, let be made clear once and for all who were responsible for these events," He noted.
“This will bring peace to your conscience and to your country,”. He added
More than 261 people, including 45 foreigners, were killed and about 500 injured in the attack three years ago, as three churches and three luxury hotels were hit in a series of coordinated attacks on 21 April 2019.
Addressing 3,500 Sri Lankan Catholics working in Italy, the Pope said he also hoped that the South Asian island state would survive its current economic crisis.
“Let us pray for the authorities, for those who have social and educational responsibilities and for all the people,” the Pope said. “May the present difficulties be solved with the commitment and collaboration of all.”
Meanwhile, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who marked the third anniversary of the Easter bombings with a ceremony at St Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo, last Thursday, did not mince words as he blamed the Sri Lankan president for failing to clean the country of “all elements of terror”.
“The incumbent president who campaigned on a promise to investigate the attack has forgotten all those promises, brushed commission findings under the rug, attempted to hide facts,” he said as he condemned the alleged cover up.
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In March Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith sought the support of the UN Human Rights council as he voiced concern over the lack of progress in the probe.
In February, Sri Lanka's High Court had acquitted two top officials accused of "crime against humanity" for failing to prevent the 2019 attacks.
Read more at the Independent
