Cardinal urges all parties not to take law into their hands

Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith yesterday called for peace, and urged all parties not to take the law into their hands.Issuing a statement, the Archbishop of Colombo said the ongoing struggle had achieved certain milestones, and the only way to ensure that those milestones are strengthened was not to attack any civilians, and not to cause any harm.

The Cardinal called upon all parties to act with restraint, as violence could lead to external forces intervening in the affairs of the country.Earlier the Cardinal urged the political leaders of Sri Lanka to keep to their word to resign this week, amid weeks of protests over the country’s severe economic crisis.

He said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said that they would resign and Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had said that the beleaguered President would step down on 13 July to “ensure a peaceful transition of power.”Meanwhile Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera also appealed to the people to remain calm. The Thera said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should announce his resignation as promised.