The Vatican has recognized 167 Catholic victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka as “witnesses of faith,” a designation for individuals who lost their lives due to their religious beliefs. The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka announced this acknowledgment during a vigil held at St. Anthony’s Church, one of the sites targeted in the attacks. The vigil was attended by hundreds, including religious figures from various faiths such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.
During the event, the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, shared that Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has listed the names of the 167 Catholics in the Vatican’s order book. This action recognizes their heroism in the face of violent opposition driven by “odium fidei,” or hatred of the faith. Additionally, the vigil respectfully remembered seven victims from other faiths.
The concept of “witnesses of faith” was reinforced by Pope Francis in 2023, who established a new category for honoring those who died professing the Catholic faith. A special commission based in the Vatican’s saint-making office has been tasked with cataloging such cases, aiming to highlight them alongside officially recognized martyrs who may be on the path to beatification or sainthood.
The 2019 bombings resulted in the deaths of over 260 people, including 42 foreigners, when near-simultaneous explosions rocked three churches—two Catholic and one Protestant—and three tourist hotels on April 21. The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has called for further investigation into the attacks, especially following revelations from British television Channel 4. The network aired an interview with an individual claiming to have facilitated a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired group, National Thowheed Jamath, and a senior state intelligence official. The alleged plot aimed to create instability in Sri Lanka to secure electoral success for former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa later that year.