"[Good Friday] is a public holiday but not a mercantile holiday which means Christians working in the private sector do not enjoy the right to fulfill our religious obligations," said Kumarasiri Fernando, a Catholic teacher from Archdiocese.

Sri Lanka has three forms of public holidays, one observed only for banks, the other for banks and government and mercantile holidays are observed for banks, government and private companies. Good Friday currently is a holiday only for banks and the government.

"We hope President Maithripala Sirisena sees the need to declare Good Friday as a mercantile holiday," Fernando added.

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