News CBCSL: Only the Pope has authority to decide the retirement of Archbishop of Colombo Published 1 min agoon 2026/07/3 Archbishop Denying social media claims that Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith used the 2019 Easter Sunday attack to have his term extended, the…
News CBCSL: Only the Pope has authority to decide the retirement of Archbishop of Colombo
Published 1 min agoon 2026/07/3
Archbishop 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.”
News SLAF conducts successful rescue mission under UN command in Central African Republic
Published 4 mins agoon 2026/07/3
A section of the SLAF contingent deployed under UN command The SLAF Sri Aviation Unit deployed under MINUSCA successfully conducted a Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) mission in Am Dafok, Central African Republic on 30 June. “The mission was launched following an attack on troops of the Zambian Battalion who were conducting an Area Domination Patrol in the Am Dafok area. During the incident, an unidentified armed group attacked the patrol using AK-47 assault rifles, RPGs and machine guns. The attack resulted in multiple casualties among Zambian Battalion personnel, civilians, Gendarmerie and other security personnel. Initially, a helicopter from another aviation unit was tasked to carry out the troop insertion and CASEVAC mission. However, due to adverse weather conditions, the aircraft was unable to depart on time. As the situation on the ground continued to deteriorate, the Force Commander directed the Sri Aviation Unit to undertake the mission. The mission was commanded by the Contingent Commander of the Sri Aviation Unit, Group Captain Asiri Pathirage, as Pilot in Command, with Flight Lieutenant Dilhash Athapaththu serving as Co-Pilot. The crew also comprised Flight Sergeant Hettiarachchi TS as Flight Engineer, Flight Sergeant Manoj AGG as Load Master, Corporal Wijethunga WMPP and Leading Aircraftman Abeysinghe GD as Air Gunners. The onboard Aeromedical Evacuation Team (AMET) comprised Flight Lieutenant Yadeesha Rathnasiri, Warrant Officer DM Sumathipala and Flight Sergeant Ruwankumara KPD The Mi-17 helicopter departed Bria Airfield and proceeded on tasking to Birao Airfield to embark reinforcement troops before conducting the evacuation of casualties from Am Dafok. While en route, the tactical situation in Am Dafok deteriorated further as the number of casualties increased. The Force Commander subsequently reprioritized the mission and directed the helicopter to proceed directly to Am Dafok without embarking the reinforcement troops. After approximately two hours and ten minutes of flight, the helicopter arrived at Am Dafok, where the helipad was only partially secured and the security situation remained volatile. The crew landed the aircraft, embarked the casualties while keeping both engines running to minimise ground time and departed the area immediately. The AMET provided continuous medical care to the casualties throughout the flight. A total of 14 casualties were evacuated during the mission. The helicopter first transported the casualties to Birao Airfield, where nine casualties comprising two Zambian Battalion personnel, one Central African Armed Forces (FACA) soldier, five Other Security Personnel (OSP) personnel and one civilian were handed over to the Level 1 Hospital. The remaining five critically injured casualties, comprising one Zambian Battalion soldier, three civilians and one Gendarmerie member, were subsequently airlifted from Birao to Bria for onward transfer to a Level 2 medical facility.”
News Navy seizes haul of contraband pharmaceuticals off Kalpitiya
Published 5 mins agoon 2026/07/3
The Navy apprehended one suspect along with a dinghy whilst smuggling a staggering 935,000 medicinal capsules in the seas off Ippantivu, Kalpitiya on 30 June. Navy headquarters said that the operation had been carried out by SLNS Vijaya, in the Northwestern Naval Command. Naval personnel on patrol intercepted the suspicious dinghy navigating the Ippantivu waters, and a subsequent search of the dinghy led to the detection of the consignment of contraband pharmaceuticals brought from India. The suspect was identified as a 35-year-old resident of the Kurakkanhena area in Kalpitiya. Following the initial interception, the suspect, the dinghy, and the haul of capsules were handed over to the office of Police Narcotic Bureau in Puttalam for further investigations and legal action.