"If the objective of the terrorists is to divide us, we all together - the countries of the European Union but also Christians, atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Jews - must say no," he told the Italian news agency SIR.

"Europe shows the world that fanaticism makes no sense," he said. Terrorists "cannot bear that this [European] project, based on common values, is possible."

Cardinal Hollerich said radical Islamists may have struck now because of the pandemic crisis. "People in Europe are in anguish. They're locked down, they're afraid … the disease continues to circulate," he said. "We know that anguish can turn into aggression."

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If they don't, they risk the community taking justice into its own hands, warns Cardinal Malcom Ranjith of Colombo.

"I want to state that we may not be able to keep people under control in the absence of a stronger security programme," Ranjith says.

"We can't forever give them false promises and keep them calm."

He urged the government to "implement a proper programme in order that the people don't take the law into their own hands".

In his opinion, Ranjith says the government is "placing responsibility on others" when it comes to investigating what happened on Easter Sunday.

He says the government is creating a commission to conduct an investigation formed by "pensioners" and retired officials instead of applying the law and guaranteeing the safety of the Christian community.

Ranjith says he hasn't seen government taking the necessary steps to guarantee the safety of students, decreeing that schools should remain closed for the time being.

"Instead, I see a lot of bouncing of responsibilities around," he says.

"The result is that the country and the population continue to suffer. If the current regime doesn't have the adequate structures to fight terrorism, it will be impossible to contain the masses in the future."

Rather than wasting time "mulling over the past," Ranjith thinks the government should assume the responsibility of putting political differences aside in the search of a solution to the question of national security, hence freeing the country "from this pitiful state".

To achieve this, all political parties should put their political differences aside he says.

In addition to failing to meet its responsibilities, Ranjith says there's no "co-ordination" in the security operation. In this respect he posed questions, such as "who offered support to the terrorists" and who gave them access to the explosives.

In the time since the attacks the Church has been doing what it can to bring relief to those affected.

Besides visiting all the families and expressing condolences and solidarity, the Church is collecting information on those killed and wounded, and on the damages caused by the six bombs that exploded in three churches and three hotels to plan a "response programme."

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• Crux Now
• Image: America Magazine