Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has stated that the greatest destruction faced by contemporary human society is the systematic breakdown of family life.

He made these remarks while delivering a sermon at the 117th annual feast of the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Kalutara.

Addressing the gathering, the Cardinal said that the collapse of the family institution in Sri Lanka has now assumed the proportions of a dangerous epidemic. He observed that an increasing number of couples enter into marriage without serious reflection, driven merely by emotion, physical appearance or superficial attraction, only to abandon those commitments within a short period.

“The greatest destruction of our times is this pattern of dismantling family life. In Sri Lanka too, it is spreading in a very dangerous manner like an epidemic. Many couples marry without meaningful understanding, becoming slaves to emotion, looks, appearance or even a smile, and then discard the marriage after a short time. There is a situation in this country where marriage is treated as a game without any real sense of responsibility,” he said.

Cardinal Ranjith emphasised that marriage is not a trivial matter but the foundation of society. He noted that a successful marriage leads to a strong family, and a strong family in turn strengthens the wider social fabric.

He further reminded the congregation that the family is the smallest unit of society and, within the Catholic Church, is regarded as a “domestic church”.

“If the family is strong, society becomes strong. If family life is strong and faithful, the Catholic Church too can remain a faithful institution,” he added.