Vatican honors 167 Catholics killed in 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings
A woman pays tribute to victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks at a cemetery in Negombo, Sri Lanka, on April 21, 2022, marking three years since the tragic attacks. / Credit: Ruwan Walpola/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
The archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka, announced this week that the 167 Catholics killed in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 will be included on the list of “Witnesses of Faith” established by Pope Francis.
Inspired by an apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II, who wanted to ensure the legacy of the “unknown soldiers of God’s great cause” was not lost, Pope Francis created the Commission of the New Martyrs – Witnesses of the Faith in 2023. Francis sought to acknowledge Catholics who have lost their lives while professing their faith in the first quarter of the 21st century. Compiled by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year, the list is an ongoing catalogue of Christian martyrs who, the Holy Father said, “are witnesses of the hope that comes from faith in Christ.”
On April 21, 2019, terrorists bombed two Catholic churches, St. Sebastian’s and St. Anthony’s; an evangelical church; three hotels; and a private residence in Sri Lanka, killing more than 260 people.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who has been the archbishop of Colombo since 2009, said that Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has included the names of the 167 Catholics who died on the Witnesses of the Faith list, “considering the context of their heroism.”
Ranjith said they are being included to “honor their sacrifice.”
This past weekend, St. Anthony Church in Colombo held a vigil to honor the lives lost during the fatal bombings. Hundreds of people, including Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic religious leaders, attended the gathering.
Following his attendance at the vigil, Ranjith traveled to the Vatican to take part in the conclave.
Six years after the attacks, Ranjith and the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka are still demanding further investigations into the bomings to examine potential involvement of state officials.
