Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don was born on 15 November 1947 in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka. After attending seminary in Colombo and Kandy, he was sent to the Pontifical Urban University, graduating in 1974, and to the Pontifical Biblical Institute, graduating in 1978. He was ordained a priest on 29 June 1975 in Saint Peter's Square.
On 17 June 1991 he was elected Titular Bishop of Cabarsussi and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Colombo, and he was consecrated bishop on 31 August 1991. On 2 November 1995 he was appointed Bishop of Ratnapura. On 1 October 2001 he became adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and president of the Pontifical Missionary Aid Societies. On 29 April 2004 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Indonesia and East Timor and Titular Archbishop of Umbriatico, and on 10 December 2005 he was named secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
On 16 June 2009 he was appointed Archbishop of Colombo, and he has been president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka since April 2010. Benedict XVI created him a cardinal in the consistory of 20 November 2010, assigning him the titular church of San Lorenzo in Lucina. He participated in the conclave of March 2013 that elected Pope Francis and as a cardinal elector in the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV. He is a member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
Consequential Quotes
People have misconceptions about evangelization as if it is something we ourselves, with human effort, can achieve. This is a basic misunderstanding. What the Lord wanted us to do was to join him and his mission. The mission is His mission.
The missionary life of the Church is the realization of our union with Him, and this union is achieved in the most tangible way through the liturgy. Therefore, the more the Church is united with the Lord in the celebration of the liturgy, the more fruitful the mission of the Church will become.
We need to be very much involved in the formation process of our people. Most people don’t understand what the liturgy is all about.
There is a sense of frustration people are experiencing. We have many questions, and the entire public is asking for answers. Why is it that those who were recommended for prosecution are not being prosecuted by the legal authorities? There are some areas indicated in the Parliament Committee report for further investigation, but they are not being investigated, why?
We have been asking for international investigations in light of the fact that whatever has been done has not produced a transparent and clear picture of what happened on that Easter Sunday. Unless a transparent and sincere investigation is launched, we do not feel that truth and justice will be meted out to the innocent victims.
Major Works & Initiatives
Adjunct Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
Appointed 1 October 2001, serving also as president of the Pontifical Missionary Aid Societies, per the Holy See biography.
Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia and East Timor
Appointed 29 April 2004 with the titular see of Umbriatico; Wikipedia notes he was the first Sri Lankan appointed an apostolic nuncio.
Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Named 10 December 2005; he later served as a member of the successor Dicastery for Divine Worship and of the Dicastery for Evangelization, per the Holy See biography.
President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka
President of the Sri Lankan bishops' conference since April 2010, per the Holy See biography; in that role and as Archbishop of Colombo he led the Church's public calls for a full investigation of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Controversies
Campaign for a transparent investigation of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings
Coordinated suicide bombings on churches and hotels on 21 April 2019 killed nearly 270 people. Cardinal Ranjith has repeatedly charged that Sri Lankan officials had advance warning from foreign intelligence and did nothing, telling a March 2022 press conference reported by Catholic News Agency that there were indications the authorities wanted the attacks to be carried out, and in September 2021 accusing officials of a conspiracy to save those behind the attack — charges the government has disputed: a cabinet spokesman was quoted in September 2021 saying the government wanted the Vatican made aware of the full details and of the action taken after the blasts, and a Sri Lanka Daily News report the same week said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had not sought a meeting with Pope Francis. The trial of 25 accused men began in November 2021, and in February 2022 a Sri Lankan court acquitted two former security officials charged with negligence. After a 2023 Channel 4 documentary alleged an inside job, Ranjith renewed his call for an international investigation; CathNews, reporting UCA News, noted that President Ranil Wickremesinghe had earlier promised a fresh probe with British support and that the government said it would set up a parliamentary panel to examine the documentary's allegations. The cardinal's core factual claims about forewarning rest on the official inquiries he cites; who, if anyone, ordered or facilitated the attacks remains contested and unresolved in the sources fetched.
Directive barring girls from serving as altar servers
In a letter dated 22 October 2024 to the priests of his archdiocese, Cardinal Ranjith directed that no girls should be invited to serve at the altar as altar servers, writing that altar serving 'is one of the main sources of vocations to the priesthood in Sri Lanka' and that a fall in seminary candidates was 'a risk we cannot take' (Catholic News Agency, December 2024). The directive drew criticism, including from religious women in Sri Lanka who said it underlined the Church's patriarchal character and ran against Pope Francis's approach to women's roles (Global Sisters Report, May 2025); Church law since 1994 has permitted bishops to admit girls as altar servers, and neighbouring Churches in India and Pakistan do so.
Sources
- Holy See Press Office — biography
- Wikipedia
- ZENIT via EWTN — Cardinal Ranjith on Forming the Faithful to Live the Liturgy, 27 June 2013
- Catholic News Agency — Sri Lankan cardinal laments slow pace, possible corruption in Easter attacks investigation, 21 March 2022
- Catholic News Agency — Colombo cardinal says Sri Lankan officials out to mislead pope over probe into 2019 attacks, 9 September 2021
- CathNews (UCA News) — Sri Lankan cardinal wants international probe into Easter bombings, 8 September 2023
- Catholic News Agency — Sri Lankan cardinal mandates male-only altar servers in Colombo Archdiocese, 22 December 2024