Colombo (AsiaNews) – Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith is a veteran cardinal. Highly appreciated by Pope Benedict XVI, he has held several positions in the Vatican and at the age of 77 still serves as the archbishop of Colombo.
The Sri Lankan prelate is also well known outside Sri Lanka for his very strong doctrinal positions, but also for his long-standing call for justice on behalf of the victims and survivors of the massacres that took place in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019, which saw almost 300 people killed, one of the darkest days in the country's recent history.
Born on 15 November 1947 in Polgahawela, in what was then British Ceylon, he was ordained a priest personally by Pope Paul VI during the Jubilee of 1975. Card Ranjith says that his vocation was born from the example of a French missionary priest assigned to his parish.
The future cardinal studied in Rome, earning a degree in theology from the Pontifical Urban College and a licentiate from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 1978, followed by a post-doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
After returning home, he served as a priest in Kalutara, and started Holy Cross College, an educational establishment that provides free education to disadvantaged children, transforming the lives of many students from poor backgrounds. During that time, he was very close to the fisher folks he served in the Western Province.
Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Colombo in 1991, alongside Archbishop Nicholas Fernando. In that period, he also chaired the doctrinal commission that brought before what was still called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith led by then Card Joseph Ratzinger the case of theologian Tissa Balasuriya, founder of the Centre for Society and Religion who was accused him of questioning original sin and the divinity of Christ in his works and supporting female ordination.
John Paul II appointed him in 1995 as the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Ratnapura, and then called him to Rome in 2001 to serve as adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. In 2004 he was appointed apostolic nuncio to Indonesia and East Timor, becoming the first Sri Lankan to lead a nunciature.
With the election of Benedict XVI he was recalled to Rome to be the secretary of the Congregation, now Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. During his tenure, he strongly promoted liturgical discipline and fidelity to the tradition of the Church. He believed that receiving communion in the hand was an “illegitimate” practice, never foreseen by the Second Vatican Council.
He criticised bishops who did not promptly make provision for the celebration of the Latin Mass when Pope Benedict authorised it in 2006, calling it a "rebellion against the Pope." Recently, he banned priests in his archdiocese from allowing girls and young women to serve at the altar, saying that male altar boys are “one of the main sources of vocations to the priesthood”.
In 2009 Benedict XVI appointed him archbishop of Colombo, elevating him to the cardinalate in the consistory of 20 November 2010, which allowed him to take part in the conclave that elected Francis.
Sri Lankans recognise Card Malcolm Ranjith as a Catholic religious leader who lives in a fraternity with and feels for Muslims and Tamil, while promoting harmony and brotherhood with Buddhist religious leaders and believers in Sri Lanka, a Buddhist country.
He always says that “If Buddhism is protected, then other religions will be protected. Therefore, we must protect the Buddhist brotherhood and the Buddhist culture in this country.”
One of its most significant and most explicit missions in recent years has been the quest for justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, demanding transparency and accountability from the Sri Lankan government.
He has criticised political leaders and institutions for failing to properly investigate and prosecute those responsible, acting as a moral voice and advocate for the affected families. He also had the opportunity to bring 40 Easter Sunday survivors to an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican.
He has worked to promote peace and unity in multi-religious Sri Lanka, especially after decades of civil war. He has participated in interfaith talks, called for national unity, and condemned extremism and communal violence, promoting reconciliation between different ethnic and religious groups.
In 2019 when Sinhala Catholics, in anger and hatred, were about to attack Muslims identified as the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday massacre, he worked hard to stop them and snuff out feelings of revenge with actions appreciated by all.
Cardinal Ranjith has also been an outspoken advocate of political reforms in Sri Lanka. He recently renewed his call for the promulgation of a new constitution that limits the powers of the head of state, ensuring that the office holder can serve the people without indulging in power and perks.
Likewise, he also slammed the proposed online safety law, arguing that it restricts citizens’ freedoms and undermines democracy.
