Catholic Church denies influencing top police appointments

The Catholic Church, announcing a clarification, denied that the Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, has requested the appointment of Ravi Seneviratne or Shani Abeysekara to their current positions.

The clarification was announced today (17) by Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo, in response to comments made in Parliament by Minister Bimal Rathnayake.

Fr. Fernando stated that neither Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith nor the Catholic Church had ever made such requests regarding the appointments of the two senior police officers.

Referring to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s legal petition, he noted that seeking court relief from arrest is a constitutional right and that the matter should be decided by the courts.

He further alleged that false narratives and smear campaigns are circulating, obstructing the current investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks and preventing those responsible from being brought to justice.