08/17/2022 Sri Lanka (International Christian Concern) – Pope Francis sent €100,000 to Sri Lanka this week to be disbursed among the families who suffered the 2019 Easter bombing. Cardinal Ranjith, who had visited the Vatican earlier this year on behalf of the Sri Lankan Church, was present for the dispersal. The Cardinal has been advocating for the families of victims for years and has become a humanitarian symbol for the oppressed Christian minority in Sri Lanka. He continues to speak out against the injustice of the Sri Lankan government in not taking meaningful action over the last three years.
Inaction, corruption, and mismanagement by the Sri Lankan government put the country in an economic crisis. Church officials joined the activists over the last year to demand change. Constant protests eventually contributed to the resignation of many government officials, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Things have not improved for Christians in Sri Lanka, as the unpopular acting president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, allowed the raid of a Church in Colombo to seek a Christian leader and protester, as well as to remove his name from the list of required respondents concerning the 2019 Easter bombings.
The Church has stepped up to care for Sri Lanka, where the government is failing. Pope Francis’ grant will help the families who have struggled since the attack, and continued efforts by Cardinal Ranjith to advocate for victims will hopefully see a more accountable government. We pray for Sri Lanka during this difficult time.
