Church renews call for Special Prosecutor for Easter Sunday attacks

marks 78 months since the Easter Sunday bombings that tore through Sri Lanka's Christian community and shook the nation to its core.

- 

Nearly seven years on, the Catholic Church continues to call for justice, urging the government to appoint a special prosecutor to oversee, what it describes as, a long-stalled and politically sensitive investigation.

In an interview with Vatican News, Fr Rohan Silva, OMI, Executive Director of the Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) in Colombo, expressed the Church's frustration at the slow pace of the inquiry and its determination to keep public attention focused on the need for truth and accountability.

"We have been constantly demanding this appointment," Fr Silva said, "because the AttorneyGeneral's Department, which currently handles the case, has not moved with sufficient speed. A special prosecutor would help ensure that charges are filed and justice is not delayed indefinitely."

On 21 April 2019, Sri Lanka was hit by a series of coordinated suicide bombings targeting churches and hotels packed with worshippers and holiday guests on Easter Sunday morning. The attacks struck St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo, and Zion Church in Batticaloa, as well as three luxury hotels in the capital.

More than 260 people were killed, including dozens of children, and more than 40 foreign nationals. Hundreds were injured. The blasts were later claimed by a local extremist group, inspired by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

The attacks were among the deadliest acts of terrorism in South Asia's recent history and left deep psychological, spiritual, and social wounds that continue to mark Sri Lankan society.

"The victims' families, the Church, and the whole nation deserve answers," Fr Silva said.