Catholic Bishops answer to the President with a demand

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) asked President Ranil Wickremesinghe to share the reports on the Easter Sunday attacks which he claimed to have received from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), as well as the UK, Indian, and Chinese intelligence services. And informed that Cardinal Ranjith is also an integral and vital member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka.

In a letter dated 06th of October (but circulated on 09th of October) sent to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka noted that the claim he had received such reports was first made public by the President in his recent interview with Deutsche Welle.

“Your Excellency further stated in the interview with Martin Gak of Deutsche Welle News that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the British Police, the Australian, the Indian, the Chinese, and the Pakistani secret services have given reports concerning the attack. This fact has been brought to the attention of the general public as well as the CBCSL for the first time. In these circumstances, if you could share with us the copies of the said reports as well,” the letter that was signed by all the Bishops of CBCSL said.

On the 04th of October, President, Ranil Wickremesinghe lashed out during an interview with Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW) news agency saying there is no necessity to have an international probe into the Easter Sunday’s attacks.

“You are talking nonsense,.. You have no right to ask me this question, You think we are second class…. You need to take this Western attitude out….You stop it, I stop it, We go off,” President Wickremesinghe told the interviewer when asked for a response into the recent Channel 4 documentary on the Easter Sunday bombings and the need for an international investigation.

Also, he underestimated the Cardinal Ranjith and said, “The Western media thinks we are bad. The way we have an inquiry is by using Sri Lankan personnel. You take a piece of paper written by the Cardinal and you are reading it out here. Have you spoken to the bishop’s conference? If not then you have no right to ask me this question. You did not come here to ask me these questions. You came here to corner me,” Wickremesinghe lashed out at the journalist.

In that way, during his interview, the President said that he is not dealing with Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith but only with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

In its reply letter, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference emphasized that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is an integral and important member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka.

“It should be noted that the Cardinal being the Archbishop of Colombo is not “sui generis” (existing alone) but is an integral and most vital member of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka. Hence, any reference to the Cardinal by Your Excellency in a singular manner, undermines the collegiality of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.” CBCSL said in the letter to the President.

Further adding, “the Catholic Bishops’ conference comprises the Bishops of the twelve Dioceses of Sri Lanka and three Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo.” it is said.

In the letter the Catholic Bishops’ Conference thanked the President for handing over all the volumes of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry Report into the Easter Sunday attacks.

END.