By The Pulseline News Desk
The Catholic Church has welcomed the court verdict in the case arising from the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, but has stressed that the convictions should not mark the end of efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attacks.
Speaking to reporters, Director of Mass Communications for the Archdiocese of Colombo, Rev. Fr. Jude Krishantha Fernando, said the Church welcomed the delivery of the verdict after victims and their families had waited for years for justice.
He said the judgment was significant not only for the victims but also in sending a message against religious extremism, emphasising that religion should never be manipulated or distorted to justify violence.
However, Fr. Krishantha said the individuals convicted in the case should not necessarily be regarded as representing everyone who may have had a role in the events surrounding the attacks.
He called for investigations to continue into whether other individuals were involved in facilitating the attacks or whether failures by officials contributed to the bombings being carried out despite prior warnings.
Church seeks answers beyond convictions
According to Fr. Krishantha, questions remain over the handling of intelligence information received ahead of the attacks and whether the authorities had sufficient information that could have enabled them to prevent the bombings.
He called for investigators to establish, based on evidence, why available intelligence was not acted upon and whether there was any wider involvement or motive behind the failures.
The issue of prior intelligence warnings has previously been examined through official investigations, while the Supreme Court has also considered fundamental rights petitions relating to alleged failures by senior state officials.
The Church’s position is that these issues should continue to be examined independently of the criminal proceedings that have now resulted in convictions.
Fr. Krishantha also called for further legal action, where supported by evidence, against individuals identified through previous investigations and commission recommendations.
He stressed that the Church wants the authorities to pursue all credible leads concerning the attacks and any related failures rather than treating the conclusion of the present trial as the end of the search for answers.
Justice beyond a court verdict
The Church has consistently maintained that accountability for the Easter Sunday attacks should extend beyond establishing the guilt of those directly prosecuted in the criminal case.
The position reflects a distinction between criminal responsibility for the attacks and accountability for institutional or official failures that may have occurred before or during the incident.
The Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019, targeted churches and hotels in several parts of Sri Lanka, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
For survivors and families of those killed, the latest verdict represents an important stage in the lengthy legal process. However, the Church says questions surrounding the intelligence warnings, security response and possible wider involvement remain to be addressed.
Fr. Krishantha said the Church would regard the justice process as complete only when all individuals who can be established through evidence to have been responsible for the attacks, as well as any related failures, have been properly investigated and dealt with under the law.
The Church’s call therefore goes beyond the convictions already secured, placing renewed focus on the unanswered questions surrounding what authorities knew before the attacks, how they responded and whether further accountability is warranted on the basis of evidence.
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