Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Colombo, Sep 29 (Daily Mirror)- Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, shocked the Catholic community in Sri Lanka over the weekend with the revelation of an unusual and controversial incident involving a same-sex wedding conducted in a church.

Speaking during a church service on Sunday, Cardinal Ranjith disclosed that two Sri Lankan women had managed to get married in a Catholic Church by deceiving the officiating priest. According to the Cardinal, one of the women altered her appearance by taking male hormone treatments, which led the priest to believe she was a man.

“One of these women had used male hormone tablets to change her appearance. The priest was deceived because she even had facial hair. This incident took place right here in Sri Lanka,” the Cardinal said.

Expressing strong opposition to same-sex marriage, Cardinal Ranjith questioned the feasibility of such unions in the context of family life.

“How can two men or two women lead a proper family life if they marry?” he asked.

The Cardinal also criticised the Sri Lankan government’s recent steps to promote LGBTQ+ tourism, warning that such initiatives could harm the country’s cultural fabric.

Sri Lanka must not allow its children and youth to become victims of foreigners who arrive here to fulfil unacceptable desires. We are unsure whether President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is aware of the implications, but we hope he understands the seriousness of the matter. Citizens must be vigilant against those seeking to undermine Sri Lanka’s cultural values,” he added.

While calling for compassion towards individuals with same-sex attraction, Cardinal Ranjith drew a distinction between those he believes are born with such tendencies and those who, in his view, adopt them due to external influence.

We must not harass those born with homosexual tendencies. They should be treated with kindness and dignity. However, others should not be pressured into adopting alternative lifestyles,” he said.

He also warned that some Western Christian nations have, in his opinion, witnessed the erosion of their cultural and moral values due to the normalisation of homosexuality and related social trends.