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Sri Lankans in Italy to host memorial events to mark 3 years since Easter attacks

06 Apr 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera Sri Lankans living in Italy, including members of the Catholic clergy, have organised a series of events to mark the third anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019. A spokesman for the Sri Lankan Catholics living in Italy told The Morning that a special mass would be held at the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, Rome, on 25 April, in memory of all those killed and injured in the bombings on Easter Sunday. He said that many Sri Lankans living in Italy are expected to participate in the event. He also said that another special service is planned to be held on 1 May near the St. Anthony's Church in Padua to demand that the truth behind the said terror attacks be revealed. According to him, the Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and several other Sri Lankan Bishops will also be attending the said service. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three Churches (the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade and the Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (the Cinnamon Grand, the Kingsbury, and the Shangri-La) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured. It was also reported recently that a large meeting would be held soon in the Vatican City with the participation of the Head of the Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Francis, Archbishop Ranjith, and Sri Lankans living in European countries, where bringing justice to the victims of the said terror attacks of 21 April 2019, would be discussed. The Colombo Archbishop met with Pope Francis on 28 February at the Vatican, and the Easter Sunday terror attacks and the related investigations were discussed during the said meeting.


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