Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Sunday said that liquor sales are banned during the Vesak Festival and should be banned during the Christmas season as well.
The Cardinal said that religion does not mean partying and destroying lives by consuming liquor. He said that religion is a thing of greatness.
The Cardinal made this comment while officiating at a service held at a church in Bollatha, Ganemulla.The Archbishop said that he read in the newspapers that a request had been made to allow liquor to be sold at hotels approved by the Ministry of Tourism and questioned whether “it is morally correct” to permit liquor consumption which leads to the destruction of lives, on Christmas Day.
He also said, “A request has been made to permit the sale of liquor at Tourism Ministry approved hotels on Christmas Day. Drink as much as you want for Christmas and die. This is a huge crime. Even Christmas is being degraded,” he said.
He said that the masterminds behind the Easter Sunday Terror Attacks are still freely moving about. “Although they were mentioned by name in the Easter Attacks Commission Report, none of them have even been questioned as yet,” the Cardinal said.
