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The Sinhala- Tamil New Year is celebrated splendidly each year by Sri Lankans all over the island. As the Sinhala- Tamil New Year days of 13th and 14th April fell within the ‘Holy Week’ in which Christians commemorate the Lord Jesus, misleading posts were spread on social media, fueling religious fanaticism. Here is an investigation we did regarding such a post.
Social Media Posts:
A social media post was spread stating that the Rev. Cyril Gamini expressed his appreciation for President Anura for not celebrating and broadcasting the Sinhala- Tamil New Year.
Here is the statement by Father Cyril Gamini.
“Holy Week is the period preceding Easter Sunday, beginning on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday morning. It is the culmination of the Catholic liturgical year. It commemorates Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, His suffering, crucifixion, death and burial. This is a very solemn period dedicated to prayers, fasting, almsgiving, repentance, and contemplation of the infinite love of Christ. Attending special services held in churches, especially on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Saturday, is a major responsibility of Catholics.
“This is not a time for joyful celebrations or festivals in the country. Therefore, we express our gratitude to our Honorable President for respecting the beliefs and ideologies of the country’s many Catholic community.”
It was circulated through Facebook several times.
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Many of our readers have inquired as to whether Father Cyril Gamini had actually made such a statement, and based on those requests, we have taken steps to investigate this matter.
Fact- Check:
We investigated whether any mainstream media had reported on the above statement made by the Media spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Colombo, Father Cyril Gamini Fernando.
However, we did not find any media report regarding that. The last time the mainstream media reported on the Father was, the statement he made at a media conference held in Colombo on February 5th stating that the report of the inquiry committee appointed under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court Judge S.I. Imam to investigate the Easter attacks will not be accepted. You can refer to those reports here and here.
We subsequently checked Father Cyril Gamini’s Facebook account and the official Facebook page of the Archdiocese of Colombo to see if the Father had made such a statement, but we did not see any note or statement indicating that such a statement had been made.
Likewise, as we did not see any statement indicating that Father Cyril Gamini Fernando expressed his appreciation towards President Anura Dissanayake we inquired the Father regarding this.
The Father stated that he has never made such a statement which is widely circulated on social media. He stated that this is a completely false statement and strongly condemned the cruel attempt to incite racism and religious hatred among the people through such statements.
The 13th day of April which is the Sinhala- Tamil New Year fell on a Sunday. This week which began on a Sunday is known as ‘Palm Sunday’ by the Christians and it is the start of the ‘Holy Week’. Throughout this week, Jesus is commemorated in a special way, from his entry into Jerusalem, to his crucifixion and resurrection.
However, though every year the New Year celebration of the President with his family was broadcasted live on television channels, current President Anura Kumara decided not to broadcast the New Year rituals live on television channels.
Various parties have expressed various opinions and criticisms regarding this, and it appears that some parties have attempted to portray the above statement as a collective opinion of the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church’s message of greeting on the occasion of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year was delivered by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, and there too there isn’t a mention regarding the above statement.
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Conclusion:
Through out investigation it is clear the social media post indicating that Father Cyril Gamini Fernando offered his appreciation to President Anura Dissanayake for not showcasing and broadcasting the Sinhala- Tamil New Year Celebration which fell within the Holy Week is false. He has not made such a statement.
Title:Did Catholic Father Cyril Gamini express his appreciation for President Anura not celebrating and broadcasting New Year?
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: False
