“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
(Amos 5:24 NIV)
On Easter Sunday 2019, three churches and three luxury hotels in Sri Lanka were bombed in a series of coordinated attacks that claimed 279 lives. Despite investigations and civil lawsuits, the perpetrators of these attacks remain unidentified.
The Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, met with new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and urged him to re-open investigations into this matter. On 6 October, President Dissanayake personally visited St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Negombo city, where 116 people were killed. The president pledged to the congregation that his government would conduct a fair and transparent investigation.
Subsequently, on 8 October, the government announced a new probe on the basis that previous investigations had failed to identify the culprits responsible for the country’s worst-ever attack against civilians.
The tragedy of these attacks is still deeply felt by many in the Christian community of Sri Lanka. At Zion Church in Batticaloa city, one bomb exploded just before the Easter service was to begin. At least 26 were killed and more than 100 were wounded. The 14-year-old son of Ganeshamoorthy Thirukumaran, a pastor at the church, were among 14 children and teenagers who died in the bombing.
Survivors of the attacks and their families continue to live with the trauma from these events and have persisted in demanding justice. The Catholic church has been at the forefront of this call for an independent investigation and the involvement of the international community. Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, head of the Communications Committee of the Archdiocese of Colombo, expressed the expectation that the new government would be taking action based on the findings of this new probe.
Overall, more than 500 people were wounded in the bombings, including 45 foreigners. Initially, officials blamed a local jihadist group connected with ISIS for the suicide bombings. However, many believe that there may also have been political motivations that allowed the attacks to take place.
Sri Lanka’s former intelligence chief, Suresh Sallay has been accused of involvement. Last year, the Supreme Court fined then-President Maithripala Sirisena and four senior government officials 310 million Sri Lankan rupees (approximately US$1.06 million) in a civil case for their failure to prevent the attacks.
In the meantime, Christians in Sri Lanka continue to face persecution at the hands of Buddhist and Hindu groups. One incident reportedly involved Buddhist groups throwing stones at a church in Kurunegala district, damaging the property. Local villagers also blocked the road leading to the church, preventing church members and the pastor from passing through. In 2023, 43 cases of intimidation and violence against pastors and their congregations were documented by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), claiming that Buddhist groups obstructed worship services and were responsible for discriminatory actions and attacks on churches.
Home Group Prayer
Dear Lord,
We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ living in Sri Lanka. We pray for your blessing and protection over them. Give them strength, faith, and hope in the face of persecution and allow them to live and worship freely and safely in their communities.
We also pray for the victims and families of the victims of the 2019 attacks. We ask that the new government of Sri Lanka will conduct a thorough investigation into these events in order that those responsible may be brought to justice.
We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.