Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, revealed a shocking incident that has stirred the Catholic community in Sri Lanka, involving a same-sex wedding conducted in a church after a priest was deceived.
Speaking during a Sunday service, the Cardinal said two Sri Lankan women managed to wed in a Catholic Church by misleading the officiating priest. One of the women, he explained, had taken male hormone treatments to alter her appearance, even growing facial hair, which convinced the priest she was a man.
Cardinal Ranjith expressed strong opposition to same-sex marriages, questioning their viability in family life. He also criticised the Sri Lankan government’s recent push to promote LGBTQ+ tourism, warning it could undermine the nation’s cultural values.
He said: “Sri Lanka must not allow its youth to become victims of foreigners who arrive here to fulfil unacceptable desires. We hope President Anura Kumara Dissanayake understands the seriousness of this matter.”
While stressing compassion for those with same-sex attraction, the Cardinal drew a distinction between people he believes are born with such tendencies and those he claimed are influenced externally. He also cautioned that Western Christian nations had, in his view, suffered a cultural and moral decline by normalising homosexuality.
