News
Cardinal asks Catholic lawyers to remain politically independent
By Normaan Palihawadane
Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has called on Catholic lawyers to remain politically independent as the country is in crisis.Delivering the homily at the Annual Lawyers Red Mass last week at the All Saints Church, in Borella, the Cardinal said that Catholic lawyers had to uphold honesty. “Fear only God as you are accountable to God, one day. You need to be the moral conscience of this nation,” the Cardinal said, adding that Catholics in the legal profession must strive hard to ensure that true democracy, equality, freedom and discipline, based on honesty and uprightness, are always protected.
It was best for Catholic lawyers, and those in the legal profession, to remain politically independent, the Cardinal said.
“With all the mockery that has taken place, ever since we received independence, and the overwhelming sense of dishonesty, corruption rampant in public life, violence, deception, opportunism, lack of transparency and accountability, political wheeler-dealing, vitiating the rule of law by power blocks and political leaders, made our society without national moral conscience.
“Sri Lanka has become a failed-state, not because it lacks the means to achieve prosperity, but because we do not take our convictions serioysly.
“Not taking action to prevent the terror attacks, even after prior information about terror activities of Zahran Hashim and his group reached them and ignoring the repeated Indian warnings, as well as the continuous disregard shown by the present political leaders and other authorities including the Attorney General to the requests for a transparent or clean investigation into it or to the calls for the implementation of the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry are clear indications of a serious lack of moral conscience on their part.”
National Chaplain of the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild, Rev Fr Freely Muthukudaarachchi, former Chaplain Rev Fr Noel Dias, and Diocesan Marriage Tribunal Judicial Vicar Rev Fr Christo Viraj Fernando were also present.
The government, under heavy Opposition fire over inclusion of a sex website in the Grade 6 English module, as well as overall education reforms, has decided to put on hold reforms in respect of Grade 6.
Cabinet Spokesman and Media and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced the government decision yesterday (13) at the post-Cabinet media briefing at the Information Department.
According to him, the decision had been taken at the previous day’s Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dr. Jayatissa said that education reforms pertaining to Garde 6 had been put on hold until 2027.
The Minister said that other proposed education reforms would be implemented as planned. The Minister said that action would be taken against those responsible for the inclusion of a link to a sex website following investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department and the National Education Institute.
The SJB and several other political parties, as well as civil society groups, have accused the government of promoting an LGBTQ agenda, through the proposed education reforms.
The Opposition grouping Mahajana Handa, on Monday, made representations to the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatta Chapter regarding the controversial reforms, while urging their intervention to halt the project.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (13) vowed to go ahead with his government’s agenda, regardless of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Emphasising the responsibility on the part of all to contribute to the post-Ditwah recovery efforts, President Dissanayake said that he would have complete faith in the public service.
The President said so at the launch of the re-building Sri Lanka project at the BMICH yesterday.
The JVP and NPP leader said that he wouldn’t take advantage of the death and destruction caused by the cyclone or use the situation as an excuse to reverse their agenda or weaken it.
President Dissanayake said that in spite of many calling for amending the then Budget, in view of the cyclone, the government presented the proposals that were agreed before the disaster struck.
The United States has announced that it will provide the Sri Lanka Air Force with 10 US Navy TH-57 helicopters free of charge.
The announcement was made by outgoing US Ambassador Julie Chung, who stated, on social media, that the helicopters would be transferred under the United States’ Excess Defence Articles programme. The aircraft are Bell 206 Sea Ranger helicopters previously operated by the US Navy.
US sources said that the transfer was intended to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster response capabilities, following the devastating cyclone that struck the island at the end of 2025 and killed more than 600 people. US officials have framed the move as a humanitarian measure aimed at improving aerial rescue and relief operations.
Fair weather will prevail except for a few showers in the Uva, Eastern, Western and Central provinces and in Galle, Matara and Rathnapura districts
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Govt. bows to pressure, shelves Grade 6 reforms
AKD: Govt. agenda on track despite Ditwah disaster
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