Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The report of the Presidential commission which probed the Easter Sunday attacks had failed to find out as to who had influenced the investigations in order to shield certain individuals, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said today.

Cardinal Ranjith told a press conference that the church had received information that some ‘interested parties’ have influenced investigations in order save certain forces.

“We have information that there were certain groups had inflicted under influence on those who were investigated the attacks in order save certain individuals and the commission report had failed to disclose this” the Cardinal said.

“We have formed a team to study the Presidential commission report which includes Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo, priests and a few other experts. We will come up with an official stand on the commission report after the study. However we can clearly say the report had failed to address the core requirement of finding out who masterminded the attacks and who facilitated them,” he added.

Also he said the Catholic church did not expect the commission to make recommendation to proscribe any Buddhist organisation. Also he said he had received only one volume of the report. Cardinal Ranjith said both the previous and the present governments also cannot wash their hands off on this. Do we elect polictians to secure power? Not at all we elect them to mete out justice to people?” he said.

Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo Rev. Anthony Jayakody who also participated in the press conference elaborated on the ‘Black Sunday’ which has been declared on March 7, said all Catholics have been asked to come to church wearing black on that day. A special prayer will be recited for the Easter Sunday victims on that Sunday. This will be the beginning of a series of protests,” he said. (Yohan Perera)