All churches across Sri Lanka will observe a two-minute silence at 8.45 a.m. today (21 April) to mark the sixth anniversary of the devastating Easter Sunday terror attacks in 2019.
The Archdiocese of Colombo announced that this moment of silence is in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the coordinated bombings, which left over 270 people dead and at least 500 injured.
National Catholic Mass Communications Director Fr. Jude Krishantha Fernando stated that a solemn celebration will begin at 8.30 a.m. at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, presided over by Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. The event will be attended by religious leaders, ambassadors, victims, and their families.
Fr. Fernando added that Cardinal Ranjith will also announce the Vatican’s recognition of the victims as “witnesses of faith” at 5.30 p.m., during a special Mass.
On 21 April 2019, a group of suicide bombers from the now-banned local Islamic extremist group National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) carried out a series of attacks on churches and luxury hotels across the country. The targeted locations included St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, Zion Church in Batticaloa, and the Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury, and Shangri-La hotels in Colombo, as well as a guest house in Dehiwala.
