Sri Lanka, July 16 -- The Catholic Church yesterday rejected claims made by parliamentarian Chamara Sampath Dissanayake that the Army Commander's tenure was extended until February next year following the latter's visit to Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on July 2.

Describing the allegation as baseless, the Church said the MP was attempting to exploit religion for petty political gain and warned that such statements could undermine religious harmony.

Media spokesman of the Colombo Archbishop, Rev.Fr.Cyril Gamini Fernando said that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith travelled to the Vatican in Rome, to participate in a meeting presided over by the Holy See and returned to Sri Lanka on July 3. "There has not been a single occasion on wh...