Easter Sunday Attacks- Release the Presidential Commission Report: Catholic Church emphasized

23-Nov-2025

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During a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Catholic Church emphasized three key concerns regarding the Easter Sunday attacks. The Church expects the full report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to be made public soon and its recommendations implemented, said Church spokesperson Rev. Cyril Gamini.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Archbishop’s House in Colombo on November 22, he said:

Representatives of the committee seeking justice for the Easter Sunday attacks met with the President and other relevant officials at the Presidential Secretariat. The discussion was held at the request of Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith.

The Minister of Justice, the Minister of Public Security, the Minister of Religious Affairs, and the Inspector General of Police—along with other senior officials involved in the investigations—also participated.

Three principal issues were highlighted. The first was the need to expedite all investigations, court cases, and actions by the Attorney General’s Department related to the Easter attacks.

It was decided to appoint a committee within the next few weeks to prepare a work plan for this purpose. Although six years have passed since the attacks, investigations are still incomplete, and the Church hopes this government will finally expedite them.

The second concern was the implementation of the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry and the necessity of releasing the Commission’s report to the public. Because of certain time constraints imposed during the investigation, some individuals residing abroad were not questioned. Therefore, the report must be reviewed properly and the CID must take further steps.

The third major request was that the full report of the Presidential Commission be released to the public. The President has promised to take prompt action. We have received reasonably positive responses regarding these three issues. The Commission also recommended banning certain Sinhala and Tamil extremist groups. Some Muslim organizations were banned immediately after the attacks.

However, under former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, certain bans were lifted, which is deeply concerning. Religious and ethnic extremist groups have a direct impact on national security. Such groups were identified as root causes in the Easter attacks and other incidents. Extremist groups pose a severe threat to national security. The country cannot afford another communal massacre. We must not allow extremism to weaken the nation again, he said.