CBCSL: Only the Pope has authority to decide the retirement of Archbishop of Colombo

Denying social media claims that Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith used the 2019 Easter Sunday attack to have his term extended, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka (CBCSL) has declared its confidence in him. The CBCSL emphasised that only His Holiness the Pope has the full authority to decide the date on which the retirement of a Bishop will officially take effect. The text of the statement issued by the CBCSL: “From recent times, we have been observing that some people have been attempting, especially through social media, to spread false information and opinions that are defamatory of His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, and some priests. The main reason for this is to undermine the efforts of His Eminence the Cardinal and the Sri Lankan Catholic Church to uncover the truth behind the barbaric attacks that took place seven years ago on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, and to secure justice for the victims. Chief among this false propaganda is the claim that His Eminence the Cardinal is using the Easter Sunday attack to extend his tenure. We wish to state that it is completely false propaganda, and we strongly condemn it. When a Bishop of a Catholic Diocese in any part of the world reaches the age of 75, he is obliged by canon law to submit his letter of retirement to His Holiness the Pope. However, the retirement will officially take effect only after His Holiness approves it. Therefore, as it has been in the past, on certain occasions, the tenure of Bishops could be extended further. (Canon Law 401). Accordingly, only His Holiness the Pope has the full authority to decide the date on which the retirement of a Bishop will officially take effect. His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, upon reaching the age of seventy-five, has submitted the letter of retirement to His Holiness the Pope; however, he is obliged to fulfil the responsibilities of his Office until the approval for retirement is granted by His Holiness. Therefore, the propaganda that His Eminence the Cardinal is using the Easter Sunday bomb attacks to extend his term is completely false, as well as a despicable attempt to mislead the public by distorting the truth. The Catholic Church’s method of implementing the laws of the Church (Canon Law) vis-a-vis the power struggles that exist in the political world can never be compared. The power of ordinary civil law has always been linked to governance, while the authority of the Catholic Church is linked with the ‘service’ of God. His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has rendered a great service to the Universal Catholic Church and the local Catholic Church, and he has stood with the sincere intention of bringing truth and justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday Bomb attack. The CBCSL and all the Catholics of the Sri Lankan Church appreciate the untiring efforts of His Eminence, and we would also like to emphasize by this that we all extend our fullest support to him.”