Colombo: It has been a year since the bomb blasts in Sri Lankan churches on Easter Day. The Sri Lankan Church will hold a prayer and silence today to commemorate those who lost their lives. On Easter Day, April 21, last year, suicide bombings took place in two Catholic churches, a Protestant church, and three hotels. At least 258 people were killed and more than 500 injured in the attack. It is the most important feast of Christians who have been actively involved in peaceful co-operation, nation-building, and torture.
The attack was carried out by the National Tawheed Jamaat, a local militant group backed by Islamic State. World leaders have strongly condemned the brutal attack on Holy Day. The blasts at the church have confirmed that 176 children have been orphaned. In some cases, both parents lost their lives, while in others, one parent was killed in the blast. The Sri Lankan Church has since taken over the rehabilitation of children who have lost their parents.
When the country went unsafe following the suicide attack, political community leaders in Sri Lanka came to the scene, praising the Christian community, which was extremely calm and peaceful. Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has stated that the Catholic community in Sri Lanka has forgiven the suicide bombers who were behind the bombings this past Easter.
