A sign of solidarity: St Thomas’ Cathedral parishioners light candles following Sri Lanka blasts

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KUCHING: In light of the tragic news of church and hotel bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, hundreds of parishioners of St Thomas’ Cathedral here lit candles as a sign of solidarity with the Sri Lankans.

Bishop of the Anglican Church in Sarawak and Brunei, the Right Reverend Danald Jute said that in such sad times, the need for peace was stronger than ever.

“We should learn to love each other, faith or no faith, whether we are Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or Muslims — we need to accept our differences and live in peace. We have to learn and find ways to live in peace in all aspects of life so that the world can be a better place.

“Today, we stand together with our Sri Lankan friends, and want to tell them that we are standing in solidarity with them,” Danald said when met by reporters today.

Some parishioners lighting candles to show their solidarity with the Sri Lankans.

He also condemned the heinous acts, saying that today was supposed to be a Holy Day filled with peace and goodwill.

“We cannot condone the heinous acts that have been committed. We are deeply saddened indeed because we love peace, and Jesus Christ is a prince that loves peace, but on this Holy Day churches and hotels were bombed,” Danald added.

At the time of writing, more than 160 people, including foreigners were killed, in the series of coordinated explosions that rocked Sri Lanka.

AFP reported that the first blast was reported at St Anthony’s, followed by a second deadly explosion at St Sebastian’s, a church in the town of Negombo, north of the capital.

“A bomb attack to our church, please come and help if your family members are there,” read a post in English on the church’s Facebook page.

Soon after, police confirmed that a third church in the east-coast town of Batticaloa had been hit, along with three high-end hotels in the capital — the Cinnamon Grand, the Shangri-La and the Kingsbury.