News CBCSL: Only the Pope has authority to decide the retirement of Archbishop of Colombo Published 36 seconds 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,…
News CBCSL: Only the Pope has authority to decide the retirement of Archbishop of Colombo
Published 36 seconds 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 3 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 ‘Free Lawyers’ opposes govt. move to extend retirement age of superior court judges
Published 5 mins agoon 2026/07/3
Civil society group Free Lawyers has opposed a government move to extend the retirement ages of Superior Court judges. The text of their statement: “Free Lawyers expresses deep concern over the government’s continued delay in filling vacancies in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, alongside reported moves to extend the retirement age of judges in these courts by two years. These actions risk undermining judicial independence, exacerbating case backlogs, and eroding public trust in the justice system. The Government argues for a “bottom-up” strategy, prioritising recruitment of magistrates and lower court judges before addressing the four vacancies in each of the superior courts. It claims this is essential for systemic sustainability and denies that vacancies are being used as leverage. While lower court vacancies must be addressed, prolonged understaffing of the apex courts cannot be justified. Over six months of vacancies have already caused serious delays in justice delivery, increased pressure on sitting judges, and affected high-stakes constitutional and appellate matters. The Constitution demands timely appointments to superior courts; using lower court needs as an excuse for inaction at the highest levels weakens the entire judicial hierarchy rather than strengthening it. The Government suggests the Supreme Court cadre does not require all positions to be filled simultaneously and that current workloads do not warrant urgency. This view underestimates the real impact on the administration of justice. Even a few vacancies at the apex level create bottlenecks, delay precedent-setting decisions, and diminish public access to timely remedies. Normalising understaffing sets a dangerous precedent and cannot substitute for prompt, transparent appointments. The Government contends that raising the retirement age (Supreme Court from 65 to 67 years; Court of Appeal from 63 to 65 years) will retain experienced judges longer and allow them to serve in higher courts, addressing promotion gaps for career judicial officers. This proposal fails on its own terms. Judges nearing promotion who currently miss out due to vacancies will face the identical situation if retirement ages are extended across the board. They will merely serve two additional years without gaining promotion. The net effect is not improved succession or experience utilisation but a blanket prolongation of tenure that offers no structural solution. More critically, such an extension — requiring constitutional amendment — is likely to be perceived as an inducement to sitting judges, compromising their independence and public confidence. It contradicts the principles of judicial tenure and the “system change” commitments made by the Government. Free Lawyers warns that these moves, taken together, create a concerning pattern that threatens the separation of powers. ‘Free Lawyers Sri Lanka’ urges the Government to: • Immediately commence transparent processes to fill all vacancies in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. • Abandon the proposed constitutional amendment to extend retirement ages. • Engage constructively with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the judiciary, and civil society for genuine reforms that enhance efficiency while safeguarding independence. The independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable. Delays in appointments and politically timed tenure changes undermine the rule of law and the public’s fundamental right to justice.Free Lawyers Sri Lanka calls upon all stakeholders to defend these democratic safeguards.