Apr 30, 2019 / 23:14 pm
As most Catholic churches remain closed across Sri Lanka, following the Easter bombings that claimed more than 250 lives, one parish in a small eastern village celebrated the ordination of a new priest on Tuesday.
Father Norton Johnson told the Associated Press that it is likely the first public Mass held in the country since eight suicide bombers attacked two Catholic churches, a protestant church, three hotels, a residence, and a zoo on April 21.
All public Masses have been cancelled since the Easter Sunday attacks, with authorities continuing to search for those behind organizing the violence.
However, invitations for the priestly ordination in the village of Thannamunai had already been issued, so the Mass went ahead as planned, with increased security measures. Instead of a few thousand participants, several hundred attended.