The first wave of blasts rocked St. Sebastian church in the western coastal town of Negombo, on 21 April, 2019 Easter Sunday. More than 1000 people had gathered to celebrate the holiest day in the Christian calendar. The assistant Fr. Sanjeewa Appuhamy was conducting the Easter Sunday service when a bomb exploded at the St. Sebastian church killing 102 people. “I heard a big noise”, Fr. Sanjeewa Appuhamy (as told to CNN) “broken glass, dust, all of a sudden covered all the church. People were shouting, weeping, we didn’t know what was happening”, the priest added.
The different places of the attack had been St. Anthony’s church in Colombo, St Sebastian’s church in the western coastal town of Negombo, a church in Batticaloa and three hotels the Shangri la, the cinnamon grand, the Kingsbury, these series of attacks have killed 290 people and injured at least 500 more.
His Holiness Pope Francis has reiterated his “spiritual and paternal closeness” to the people of Sri Lanka as he concluded an address in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on Monday. “I hope that everyone condemns this act of terror- inhumane acts that are never justifiable,” His Holiness Pope Francis said.
