Cardinal Ranjith urges new Sri Lanka president to prioritize the poor

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, has called on newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to focus on the needs of the poor as he takes on the leadership of Sri Lanka.

By LiCAS News

During a meeting at the Archbishop’s House in Colombo on September 23, Cardinal Ranjith congratulated President Dissanayake on his electoral victory.

He emphasized the significant responsibilities awaiting the new president, particularly in addressing the challenges faced by the nation.

He offered the President his blessings and full support for the tasks ahead and stressed the importance of prioritizing the welfare of the impoverished segments of society.

In response to a query from the press, Cardinal Ranjith highlighted President Dissanayake’s pledge to thoroughly investigate the Easter attacks, ensuring that the truth would be uncovered and justice served.

President Dissanayake’s day continued with visits to other religious landmarks, including the Dawatagaha Mosque in Colombo, where he participated in ceremonies and received further blessings.

Sri Lanka’s new leader assumed the presidency on Monday, ushering in promises of change for a nation that has been predominantly ruled by powerful political dynasties and is currently recovering from its most severe economic crisis in over seventy years. 

Millions cast their votes for Dissanayake, an opposition parliamentarian, drawn by his commitment to combat corruption and support the country’s tenuous economic revival.

During his inaugural address at the president’s office, Dissanayake, aged 55, pledged his dedication to protecting and promoting democracy, acknowledging the challenging times ahead. 

“Our politics needs to be cleaner, and the people have demanded a different political culture,” he said. “I am ready to commit to that change.”

Dissanayake was born on November 24, 1968, in Galewela, a culturally and religiously diverse town in central Sri Lanka. 

Coming from a middle-class background, he was educated in public schools, earned a degree in physics, and entered politics as a student during a pivotal period marked by the 1987 signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement. 

This agreement triggered one of the bloodiest phases in Sri Lanka’s history, leading to an armed revolt from 1987 to 1989 by the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) – a Marxist party to which Dissanayake would later be closely linked. 

The insurrection, fueled by dissatisfaction among the rural lower and middle-class youth, led to widespread violence, including raids, assassinations, and attacks against both political foes and civilians, resulting in thousands of deaths.