Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, is visiting Sri Lanka at the invitation of Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo.
He is one of the main speakers at the Colombo Archdiocesan Pastoral Convention, held under the theme “Towards a Synonymous Path of Faith” at the Archbishop’s Auditorium in Colombo.
On July 18, 2025, Cardinal Grech addressed the clergy, religious, and lay faithful in multiple sessions. He also spoke to the staff and students at the National Seminary of Our Lady of Lanka in Ampitiya, near Kandy City, where he emphasized the importance of seminary formation in shaping future priests.
His visit marks a significant phase in receiving and implementing the fruits of the Synod on Synodality in the country. Throughout his stay, Cardinal Grech is participating in various meetings with local groups to address the issues raised in the final document of the Synod.
This visit was strongly requested by Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka, who is deeply committed to realizing the outcomes of the Synod in his Diocese of Kurunegala.
A Maltese prelate, Cardinal Grech served as the Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops in 2019 and was made a cardinal in 2020. He is widely recognized for his key role in planning and guiding the synodal process initiated by Pope Francis.
As part of his visit, Cardinal Grech paid tribute to the victims of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks by visiting St. Anthony’s Shrine in Kochchikade, one of the main sites targeted on April 21, 2019. The attacks, linked to ISIS, were carried out simultaneously at three churches and four hotels across Colombo, claiming the lives of 260 people.
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