“Nowadays, many people wondering how even to celebrate Christmas and find their daily meals,” Cardinal

Speaking to the media ahead of Christmas on Dec. 19, the cardinal urged Catholics to remember the less fortunate this Christmas, encouraging families to open their homes and embrace the poor during the holiday season.

“Nowadays, many people living in our country are wondering how even to celebrate Christmas and find their daily meals,” - Cardinal 

《 By UCA News reporter : December 20, 2024 》

“I request all our Catholic families to invite a poor family in your neighborhood to your home this Christmas and share a meal,” Ranjith said.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo.
(Photo: Ishara Kodikara/AFP)

He suggested they could provide lunch to a family or books and clothing for the children of the poor.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference issued a special Christmas message that said the problem of poverty can only be alleviated by creating a fair economic structure.

“Creating this environment in our country requires the sincere commitment of every individual,” the bishops said in their Dec. 18 statement.

Meanwhile, the Coconut Development Authority announced that Cardinal Ranjith will subsidize the government's purchase of coconuts from church-owned plantations in response to the national shortage and high coconut prices.

Suranimala Gunawardena, a rights activist campaigning against political corruption, said former politicians had misused millions of rupees from the President’s Fund.

Nalinda Jayatissa, the chief government whip and Minister of Health and Mass Media, revealed this in Parliament on Dec. 17.

He said 36 former parliamentarians had received millions of rupees from the President’s Fund from 2005 to 2024.

"This is the fund for people with critical illnesses, such as those needing heart surgery or cancer treatment. It is very difficult to raise 100,000 rupees [$347] for a patient, but former politicians have taken millions from this President's Fund," Gunawardena told UCA News.

He said those in power and with resources were receiving favorable treatment and often evading the consequences of their actions.

"The less fortunate face harsher punishment for similar offenses, and this disparity undermines justice, perpetuating a sense of unfairness,” Gunawardena said.

He said the law must be applied equally to all, regardless of wealth or status.

Rights activists emphasized the need for a fair economic structure to ensure equality, as true progress requires equitable resource distribution.

“Corruption and lawlessness have spread throughout the country due to the wrong economic practices” of previous governments, Ranjith said, and hoped the new government “would bring about a positive transformation.”

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has called for a Sri Lanka free from corruption and lawlessness, emphasizing the urgent need for systemic change.⍐