President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in his Christmas Day message issued yesterday, told Christians that the government has created an environment where they can celebrate Christmas without fear and that those who are responsible for the Easter Sunday carnage would be punished.

Rajapaksa said : “I am aware that Christian brethren of this country celebrate this Christmas while still anguishing in the bitter pain created by the brutal attacks that took place on Easter Sunday little over a year ago. Nevertheless, we have been able to dispel the feeling of fear and insecurity that was generated as a result and to bestow everyone with the opportunity to engage in religious observances freely. In the same manner justice too will be meted out to the affected.”

Earlier this week Rajapaksa also extended the tenure of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks on 21 April 2019.

The President, in the Christmas Day message, also said : “Christmas is a noble religious event in the Christian calendar, associated with the birth of Jesus Christ, which inspires the devotion of millions of Christians in God around the world and second only to the Easter. It exemplifies the noble values that make up the foundation of civilized human society such as peace, love, kindness, coexistence and compassion that Lord Jesus Christ preached and demonstrated by practice. From a social perspective, Christmas is also a joyous occasion for Christian families to get together, exchange gifts, forget enmity and renew bonds.”

“The doctrine preached by Lord Jesus Christ encompasses a body of teachings that contributes to the perpetuation of the society. Foremost among these teachings is to eliminate the darkness of sin and help those who have been neglected and marginalized with a sense of brotherhood and be committed to the salvation of the entire mankind. This doctrine can be utilized to revive the economically, socially and culturally disrupted world in the wake of COVID – 19 pandemic. May the gospel of peace and love expounded by Lord Jesus Christ spread across the world! I wholeheartedly wish all Christians in Sri Lanka a Merry Christmas.”