ASIA/SRI LANKA - Cardinal Ranjith: “Hope, the word that describes the spirit that prevails in Sri Lanka”

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 evangelization jubilee politics economy

SRI LANKA

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Cardinal Ranjith: “Hope, the word that describes the spirit that prevails in Sri Lanka”

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Colombo (Agenzia Fides) - "Sri Lanka is going through a period of profound political and democratic renewal. Since November 2024, we have had a new president and a new parliament, with an absolute majority, changing the old power structure linked to a corrupt political class guilty of abuse of power and human rights violations. In a country that has emerged from a serious social and economic crisis, a new hope is emerging," said Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, in an interview with Fides. "Hope," the Cardinal said, is precisely the right word to describe the spirit that prevails in the country today. And we Catholics celebrate the Jubilee of Hope so that our actions, our thoughts, our words, our direction are fully in line with what is happening politically, socially, culturally, and spiritually in the nation." In the last election, "a change was expected, and it has happened: a socialist-oriented government is now in office, one that appears honest and committed to the welfare of the people and aware of its responsibilities, a government that intends to combat poverty and care for the well-being of the most disadvantaged social classes," he notes. "The new government," he says, "has started a new era and set to work to bring justice to those who have suffered injustice in the past, those who are in prison or have suffered violations of fundamental rights. And it is doing so through legality, with full respect for the principles of the rule of law." "One area to which the government of new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is devoting resources and attention," the Cardinal said, "is the country's economy. It is slowly recovering from the crisis and following the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund, which, in turn, has granted loans. We are in a phase of recovery, and tourism is also in a phase of recovery, and this bodes well, as it is an important sector of our economy that contributes to wealth creation." "Of course," Cardinal Ranjith continued, "the recovery process will take at least a few years, but we are on the right track. There is a certain optimism among the population today; we see a responsible political class and a president in whom people place their trust. The majority of the Catholic population has also supported him, and the Church has good relations with the government. There are good prospects for cooperation."

There is still an open wound in the relationship between the Catholic Church and political institutions, the Cardinal told Fides: "It is a question of justice, that is, the search for the perpetrators, executors, and sponsors responsible for the Easter terrorist attacks on churches and hotels in 2019, and their prosecution. President Dissanayake has announced a new investigation to create transparency and find the truth. We are hopeful because a commission has already been set up, which also regularly interviews some of our priests. From the beginning, we have demanded truth and justice against the cover-up of the case. Now we are waiting for a trial and for the real responsibilities or complicity within the state apparatus to come to light. The victims are waiting for justice." In this context, the Cardinal is grateful that the Holy See has decided to include the 167 Catholic faithful who were murdered in a church in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, in the catalogue of "Witnesses of the Faith of the 21st Century" compiled by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and presented in the Jubilee Year.
In the meantime, he says, "the daily life of the Church continues; we walk as the people of God; we continue our social, educational, and charitable activities at the service of humanity. The parishes are celebrating the Holy Year; each diocese has prepared a calendar of celebrations and spiritual initiatives: for us, it is a moment of inner renewal and a new beginning with a new impulse that comes from the Lord. The theme of hope fits the feeling in people's hearts: in this phase, we are bearers of hope; we have the hope that comes from God. We listen and offer our strength so that the Lord may complete his work and we may do our part humbly and with faith."

Regarding the election of Pope Leo XIV, the Cardinal says: "We see him as a person who, thanks to his missionary experience, is attentive to the reality of all the Churches. I believe that in him we will have a solid point of reference. With his reference to Pope Leo XIII, he told us that the Church today is called to offer Christian responses to modern times. We trust in his humble and wise leadership." (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 28/5/2025)