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A photo of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith standing beside a young man in Europe began circulating on Sri Lankan social media with a startling caption: that the man is the son of Preethi Padman Surasena, who took office as Sri Lanka’s 49th Chief Justice on July 31, 2025. The claim landed in an already heated online debate about the Chief Justice’s religious background, and it implied that his family was travelling with the head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church. Here is the post that carried it.
Social Media Posts:
Fact-Check:
Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena’s Sons Look Nothing Like the Man in the Photo
When the media reported on the official ceremony at the Supreme Court complex marking the appointment of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, they also published photos of his real family members, including a family photo of the Chief Justice. Comparing these photos, it is clear that the man shown beside the Cardinal in the circulating photo is not either of the Chief Justice’s two sons.
The Man Beside Cardinal Ranjith Is a Priest From the Archdiocese of Colombo
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and 50 priests serving in the Archdiocese of Colombo travelled to the Vatican on September 16. The group was scheduled to stay there for two weeks and to meet the Pope. Under the Cardinal’s leadership, several Holy Masses were also organized for Sri Lankan communities in Vatican City, Rome, and other Italian cities during this period.
The Cardinal and the Archdiocese’s priests also visited the basilica dedicated to Saint Thérèse in Lisieux, France, where the priests celebrated Holy Mass under his leadership. They also arranged to view the relics of Saint Thérèse enshrined in the Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse. The photo circulating on social media was taken on that occasion. Another photo of the Cardinal with the same priest appears below.
The Archdiocese of Colombo Confirmed the Photo Was Misrepresented
To verify the matter further, we contacted Fr. Jude Krishantha Fernando by phone. He previously served as Director of Social Communications and media spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo. He said the Cardinal was on a pilgrimage in Rome with the Archdiocese’s priests, and that a photo the Cardinal’s secretary, Fr. Shashika Manoj Rodrigo, had taken with the Cardinal was being falsely presented online as showing a Chief Justice’s son.
We also found a photo of Fr. Rodrigo celebrating Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady in Montligeon, Normandy, in the Diocese of Séez, France. He and the priest standing beside the Cardinal in the circulating photo are clearly the same person.
A comparison between the circulating photo and other photos of Fr. Rodrigo appears below.
Neither of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena’s two sons bears any resemblance to the priest seen with the Cardinal in the circulating photo.
Fr. Shashika Manoj Rodrigo Confirmed He Has No Link to the Chief Justice
To corroborate the facts further, we reached Fr. Shashika Manoj Rodrigo, who was still abroad, through a WhatsApp call. He confirmed that he was the person in the photo and that the background was the Sanctuary of Lourdes in France. He said he was a Catholic priest and had no family relationship with Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. He added that his father was a retired businessman named B.K. Anthony Rodrigo. The priest also sent us his Archdiocese of Colombo identity card.
We also intend to seek comment from Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena’s side and will update this article once a response is received.
Chief Justice Padman Surasena Is Not a Catholic
Even before Preethi Padman Surasena was appointed Sri Lanka’s 49th Chief Justice, some social media pages and websites had been circulating intense criticism, describing his religious background as that of a “Born Again” Christian.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith leads Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholic Church, an institution with centuries of historical tradition, an established structure, and the leadership of the Pope in the Vatican. “Born Again” refers to a recently emerged, independent Christian grouping within the Pentecostal and Evangelical denominations. It belongs to neither the traditional Catholic nor the Protestant churches.
Born Again groups do not accept core Catholic beliefs recognised by the Vatican, such as devotion to Mother Mary, veneration of saints and the sacraments. This is the irony of the fabricated post. Critics who described the Chief Justice as a “Born Again” Christian were now implying, through a misrepresented photo, that his son stood beside a Catholic Cardinal in front of the Sanctuary of Lourdes in France. Lourdes is one of the most sacred Marian shrines for Catholics, and it is very unlikely that someone holding Born Again beliefs would go there on a pilgrimage.
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Conclusion:
Our fact-check found that the man standing beside Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith in the circulating photo is not the son of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. He is Fr. Shashika Manoj Rodrigo, the Cardinal’s secretary, and a Catholic priest. Fr. Jude Krishantha Fernando of the Archdiocese of Colombo and Fr. Rodrigo himself confirmed this, and Fr. Rodrigo also provided his Archdiocese identity card.
Critics have described the Chief Justice as a “Born Again” Christian, and there is a clear distinction between the Catholic faith and Born-Again Christianity. The photo therefore says nothing about the Chief Justice’s family, and the claim is false.
Title: Cardinal Ranjith’s Europe Photo Shows His Secretary, Not the Chief Justice’s Son
Fact Check By: Pavithra Sandamali
Result: False
