18 October 2022 12:00 am Views - 102
By Yohan Perera
Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith called for the end to elaborate Christmas celebrations this year including banning of decorations.
Speaking during a religious service held to mark the 75th jubilee of St. Theresa’s Church, Batapattala in Negombo, Cardinal Ranjith said Christmas this year should be confined to feed the hunger.
“One must not waste funds on decorating churches and other places this Christmas considering the situation of the country. There are many people who are living in hunger. Therefore the only thing that should be done for Christmas this year is to provide a meal to the poor,” he said.
Also he said one cannot expect justice for Easter Sunday victims from the incumbent President and the government. “The present President did not have the consent of the people to hold the post he is holding now as he came from the back door. The Parliament select committee appointed to look into the Easter Sunday attacks said there could be a political hand behind the attack. The incumbent President had pledged to bring in Scotland Yard to carry out an investigation. However nothing has been done yet. Besides I am criticized for talking politics. I am doing so in line with the statement made by the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka some years ago and the recent statement made by Pope Francis that the church cannot afford to be silent where there is social injustice,” he added.