Sri Lankan Cardinal takes Easter terror attack victims to Vatican to meet Pope Francis

Sri Lanka's Catholic church Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith along with a group of kin of the 2019 Easter Sunday victims left for Rome on Friday to meet Pope Francis in his bid to take the case to the international community for justice as he accused the government of turning a blind eye to the country's worst terror attack.

The visit came as Cardinal Ranjith made a hard-hitting speech on Thursday on the third anniversary of the suicide bombings that killed 270 people, including 11 Indians, blaming the Sri Lankan government and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for failing to keep pledge to grant justice to the victims.

He accused the government of covering up the investigations in order to protect those responsible for the attack.

Cardinal Ranjith is travelling to Rome with a group of 60 people, who have some of their affected family members still in distress, the Catholic Church officials said.

“I lost my son and daughter both, but I am still waiting for justice,'' one of those, who departed this morning, said.

“My husband, son and daughter all died. I want the criminals to be brought to justice,'' another said.

“His eminence the Cardinal had promised the Pope that he would bring along some of the victims’ kin to meet him. So he is taking them to visit the Pope,'' Father Jude Krishantha, the church spokesman said.

Cardinal Ranjith said he was taking the case to the international community for justice as the Sri Lankan government had turned a blind eye.

Cardinal Ranjith during a ceremony held at St Sebastian’s Church to mark the 3rd anniversary of Easter Sunday attacks on Thursday questioned whether the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission which probed the Easter Sunday attacks is delayed because the secrets behind the attack will come up as a result of such an exercise.

''We are suspicious that the present regime continues to delay the implementation of the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission which probed the Easter Sunday attack including taking action against former President Maithripala Sirisena is delayed because such action may result in more disclosures,'' he said.

He also said the release of former President’s Secretary Hemasiri Fernando who accepted that he had prior knowledge of the attacks, and the former IGP Pujith Jayasundara by the Attorney General Department and the government is an insult on the bomb victims and the wounded.

A special presidential probe found then president Sirisena himself along with a host of other top defence officials guilty of ignoring prior intelligence.

The panel report had recommended criminal action against them.

Archbishop Ranjith has been regularly expressing disappointment over the police investigation and its slow nature.

In November last, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had asked his detractors to be careful while demanding quick action against the perpetrators of the deadly Easter terror attacks, warning that his government can ''act tough'' on the critics if the need arises.

He had said the judicial proceedings were underway and his government will not interfere in them.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)