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In a University-wide message, President Kaplan extended his sympathies to the victims and encouraged members of the campus community to help support those who were impacted by the tragedy.

April 23, 2019

Dear Members of the Campus Community,

Like you, I was shocked and horrified to learn of the Sri Lankan church bombings on Easter Sunday, as Christians celebrated the holiest day of their liturgical year. As you know by now, at least 321 people were killed, and more than 500 were injured.

There are members of our University community who have relatives, friends, and acquaintances in Sri Lanka. Our prayers, thoughts, and support go out to them as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.

It seems that how and where people choose to worship has, especially recently, ignited the very worst in some, who will coolly and calmly walk into a crowd of innocents and destroy the precious gift of human life.

Our country was founded on the principle of religious freedom, which is enshrined in our Constitution. This is a principle that, we believe, belongs to everyone in the world. As I’ve stated before, an attack on others for worshipping differently must be seen as an attack on all of us.

Sincerely,

Steven H. Kaplan, Ph.D.
President