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Archbishop of Colombo the Most Rev Dr Malcolm Ranjith has been elevated to the position of Cardinal by His Holiness Pope Benedict the XVI. The announcement of the elevation of Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith as Cardinal was made by the Pope at his weekly appearance before the faithful at St Peter’s Square on 20th October 2010. The Most Rev. Dr. Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, is the only prelate from Asia among the 24 new Cardinals to be appointed on 20 November.
 Archbishop Ranjith was born in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka, on Nov. 15, 1947 and completed his early studies in Colombo and Kandy, before going on to the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, where he obtained a degree in theology. Pope Paul VI ordained him priest in St. Peter's Basilica on June 29, 1975.
He then went for higher studies and gained a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and a special certificate in Biblical studies from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. After various pastoral and academic appointments in Colombo archdiocese, and having served in various roles at national level, Pope John Paul II named him auxiliary bishop of Colombo in 1991 and appointed him bishop of Ratnapura in 1995. From 1995-2001, he served as secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka and chairman of the National Commission for Justice, Peace and Human Development.
Pope John Paul II brought him to Rome on Oct. 1, 2001, as adjunct secretary at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and on April 29, 2004, appointed him apostolic nuncio to Indonesia and Timor Leste.
Archbishop Ranjith was among the first of the new appointments to the Roman Curia made by Pope Benedict XVI after his election. On Dec. 10, 2005, the pontiff designated him secretary to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, a post he has held until now and which has given him considerable international experience and a wide understanding of the universal Church. He is also today the President of the Sri Lankan Bishops Conference.
The archbishop speaks English, French, German, Italian, Sinhalese and Tamil fluently, and has a fair knowledge of Indonesian and Spanish. He has also studied Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Arabic.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message to Dr. Malcolm Ranjith has praised and pointed out that “Your elevation to this high rank in the Roman Catholic hierarchy brings great honour to Sri Lanka, especially to the 1.3 million followers of the Catholic Church in our country, whose spiritual leader you are today.
The honor you have brought to our motherland is even greater as you are the only Asian among the 24 Cardinals from several continents to be named by His Holiness, reflecting the universality of the Church, President Rajapaksa further stated.
Following is the full text of the message:
His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. Malcolm Ranjith
Archbishop of Colombo
Your Lordship,
I am greatly privileged to send this message of felicitation to you on your elevation as a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, including you as a member of the distinguished College of Cardinals of the Holy See.
Your elevation to this high rank in the Roman Catholic hierarchy brings great honour to Sri Lanka, especially to the 1.3 million followers of the Catholic Church in our country, whose spiritual leader you are today. The honour you have brought to our motherland is even greater as you are the only Asian among the 24 Cardinals from several continents to be named by His Holiness, reflecting the universality of the Church.
The Catholics of Sri Lanka have waited 45 years since the elevation of the first of our nationals, Archbishop Thomas Benjamin Cooray to this eminent position in the Church, for another of their spiritual leaders to be so honoured. It is significant that the call to Your Lordship from His Holiness has come at a most propitious moment for Sri Lanka.
Your elevation in the Church comes at a time when our country moves to a new era of peace and hope, searching for understanding and reconciliation among all our people. Your Lordship’s experience as a minister of the Church, from the time of your ordination as a priest, through your rise in the hierarchy of the Church with many responsible positions in the Holy See, until your appointment as Archbishop of Colombo in June last year, has imbued you with tremendous awareness and knowledge of the importance of tolerance and harmony among people. The important role you have played in the field of Inter-Faith Dialogue and sharing of the traditional values of our people, gives us a new beacon of light to follow in our path to a better Sri Lanka rich in the spiritual and moral values of its people.
From the very early days of your ministry as a priest of the Catholic Church you have moved with the humblest of people, and have at all times championed the cause of the lowest and the downtrodden in our society, giving meaning to the teaching of Jesus Christ extolling the meek as the true inheritors of the earth. At a time when we are beginning to savour the fruits of peace, we recall with gratitude the forthright position Your Lordship took on behalf of all those who suffered under the yoke of terror that has now been lifted from our people. This exemplified your strong belief in the principles of Christian love and social justice that will no doubt continue to influence you in the new position of eminence in the Church and our country.
I join the people of Sri Lanka in wishing you the choicest blessings in your new and exalted role in the Church in Sri Lanka and the world outside; and together with them wish you a long and healthy life of service, looking forward to your guidance and counsel in steering our motherland to the new land of promise that is the right of all our people.
With warmest regards.
Respectfully,
Mahinda Rajapaksa
President of Sri Lanka
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