FILE PHOTO - Pope Francis arrives at the opening of a 3-day Symposium on Vocations in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, on Thursday Feb. 17, 2022. Defense lawyers in the Vatican’s fraud and extortion trial on Friday accused Pope Francis of violating their clients human rights by issuing four secret, executive decrees that gave prosecutors free reign to investigate in ways that deprived the suspects of basic legal guarantees. The lawyers argued that the resulting trial into the Vatican’s bungled 350 million euro investment in a London real estate deal is therefore illegitimate, and they again called for Tribunal President Giuesppe Pignatone to throw out the indictments. Pignatone is set to rule on their motions March 1. (AP File Photo)
Colombo/Vatican City, April 26 (PTI) Pope Francis has urged the Sri Lankan government to make public the truth behind the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed nearly 270 people, saying it will bring peace in the island nation, which is currently reeling under the worst economic crisis.
The Pope made the remarks on Monday at the Vatican while addressing some 3,500 Sri Lankan Catholics working in Italy, including a delegation from the families of victims and survivors of the terrorist attacks, led by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo.
The pope also said he prayed that Sri Lanka will also be able to ride out the worst economic crisis in its history, the Vatican News reported.
Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to Islamic State terror group carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500.
The attack stirred a political storm as the then government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available to the authorities.
Most of the casualties took place in St. Sebastian's Catholic Church in the suburb of Negombo, belonging to Cardinal Ranjith's Archdiocese of Colombo, where 113 people died.
On the third anniversary of the attacks, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said the Sri Lankan government will not rest until justice has been served to the guilty behind the blasts.
"Today we remember with grief, the tragic events that transpired 3 years ago on that fateful #Easter morning. We mourn the loss of innocent lives and the lives that were impacted. #GoSL has since made every attempt, to bring those responsible to justice," he had tweeted.
However, the outspoken Sri Lankan Cardinal has been vigorously calling for justice, alleging that the current government has been covering up the investigations into the bombings, in order to protect the brains behind them.
Speaking to the Sri Lankan group at the end of a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Ranjith in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Pope Francis noted that they were gathered there to mark the anniversary of the tragic events which, on Easter Day 2019, sowed death and terror in Sri Lanka .
Pope Francis then made an appeal to the authorities of Sri Lanka regarding the Easter bombings, the Vatican News reported.
Please, out of love for justice, out of love for your people, let it be made clear once and for all who were responsible for these events, he said, adding that This will bring peace to your conscience and to your country.
Pope Francis also recalled that he visited Sri Lanka in 2015.
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, he said, referring to Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis in its history since its independence from British rule in 1948.
Ahead of his visit to the Vatican, Cardinal Ranjith had accused the current government headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa of turning a blind eye to the country's worst terror attack.
In a hard-hitting speech on April 21, the third anniversary of the suicide bombings, he blamed the Sri Lankan government and President Rajapaksa for failing to ensure justice to the victims.
He also accused the Rajapaksa government of covering up the investigations in order to protect those responsible for the attack.
The Rajapaksas are under pressure to resign for their mishandling of the forex crisis which landed the island nation into its worst economic crisis.
