A recent statement by Cardinal Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has stirred both reflection and raised eyebrows. Addressing a ceremony at St. Joseph’s Church, Nillanduwa, yesterday, the Archbishop of Colombo urged Catholics not to weaponize religion for personal needs, advising the faithful that prayer should go hand in hand with practical action, such as seeking medical treatment rather than expecting miracles alone.
The message, delivered in Negombo, might have sounded like a routine pastoral reminder about balancing faith and reason. Yet for many observers, it landed with the subtlety of a church bell dropped from the belfry, given the long-running controversies surrounding the Church’s own role in public life and politics in Sri Lanka.
Critics point out that religious institutions, while cautioning believers against exploiting faith, have themselves been deeply entangled in national political discourse for years. The Cardinal has been one of the most visible religious figures commenting on state accountability, particularly in the aftermath of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, frequently positioning the Church as both moral guardian and political conscience. Supporters call this prophetic leadership; detractors describe it as a selective blending of altar and podium.
Adding to the unease are unresolved questions about financial assistance reportedly received by Church institutions following the attacks. At a press conference held months ago, several victims from Negombo alleged that nearly one billion Sri Lankan rupees had been received by the Church from local Islamic organizations in the immediate aftermath as humanitarian aid. Those claims, widely discussed in public but thinly documented in official disclosures, have yet to be matched by a detailed, publicly accessible accounting. Church representatives have offered varying explanations regarding funding flows, but no comprehensive breakdown has been released, leaving space for speculation to thrive in a nation already fluent in distrust.
The result is a paradox that many Sri Lankans recognize all too well: a society where moral lectures are abundant, but transparency is treated like a state secret, carefully archived and rarely seen. For some members of the Catholic community, the Cardinal’s warning against using religion for personal agendas was a sincere appeal to spiritual integrity. For others, it sounded like an accidental piece of satire, given the Church’s own contested role in shaping political narratives, mobilizing public sentiment, and navigating post-tragedy finances.
