Easter mass at Oakland's Cathedral of Christ the Light began with prayers from Bishop Michael Barber. "My friends... my heart goes out today to those killed in Sri Lanka. Let us remember them at this mass."
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The Easter bombings of three Christian churches in Sri Lanka has left many in the Oakland Diocese searching for answers.
"It's very tragic that so many have been killed," said Bella Comelo, who does outreach to the East Bay's Asian Indian Catholic community. "We should be living happily with each other. Religion should not be a way to fight with each other but to live peacefully with each other. Don't know why this is happening."
"It's very dreadful, painful, shameful," said San Ramon resident Raman Gupta, who grew up in India. He condemns the violence by religious extremists. "It's OK to have belief, but when that belief is used for political mileage, that's bad," he said.
"Being from India, I understand terrorism is a big problem there too. We're sympathetic to what's happening in Sri Lanka. I hope they catch the culprits," Folsom resident Adit Joshi said.
The Oakland Diocese says proceeds from Sunday's offertory at mass will go to help relief efforts in Sri Lanka.