St. Michael's Church - Homagama Picture from the Archdiocese of Colombo More pictures available at www.archdioceseofcolombo.com
Two Catholic churches were attacked in Sri Lanka within four days in continuing violence against Christians that appears to be escalating since the death last month of a prominent Buddhist monk, Gangodawila Soma Thero. Just after midnight on Thursday, January 15, ten people broke into St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Homagama. Statues were smashed and furnishings were soaked in kerosene and set on fire. According to the church priest, Rev. Hishantha Perera, the members of the church are remaining calm, but are anxious to see those responsible brought to justice. This was the same church where a Buddhist mob tore down the cross and raised a Buddhist flag on the top of the church in November, 2003 (Click here for more details).
Early Sunday morning, January 18, St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church in the village of Hokandara was also attacked when around six youth cut through the fence and set burning tires against the door, damaging part of the building. There were no injuries in either attack.
Pray that Christians in Sri Lanka will continue to be a light in the darkness that surrounds them. Pray for a continued ministry for the Church in Sri Lanka.
VOMC supports persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka as they witness for Christ in hostile environments through Biblical training, legal aid, and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.
Ethnicity (%) Sinhalese (74.9), Sri Lankan Tamil (11.2), Sri Lankan Moors (9.2), Indian Tamil (4.2), other (0.5)
Religion (%) Buddhism (70.2), Hinduism (12.6), Islam (9.7), Roman Catholic (6.1), Evangelical Christianity (2.0)
Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe (July 2022)
Government type Presidential republic
Legal system Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Sri Lanka
Let's unite our hearts in prayer for those in Sri Lanka who are being persecuted for their faith, thanking God for what He is accomplishing despite the opposition. Ask that His people will be encouraged, strengthened and equipped by the promises of the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – knowing that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Ephesians 6:17; Jeremiah 1:12). May they not only overcome the strategies of the enemy, but also serve as effective witnesses to those in need of eternal salvation and deliverance from spiritual captivity.
Pastors from the Foursquare Church recently gathered at their denominational campground in the Puttalam District of Sri Lanka for an annual convention. At around 1 a.m. on January 25th, a group of unidentified individuals entered the camp and began vandalizing the property.
On the morning of December 3rd, police entered the Assembly of God church in the town of Makola, which is located near the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The officer in charge questioned whether the service was being conducted legally. Since the believers were in the middle of a worship service, the pastor agreed to report to the police station the next morning.
Pastor Jerome Fernando is the leader of the Glorious Church in Katunayake, Sri Lanka. Along with his regular church ministry role, he also holds evangelistic meetings in various areas of the world. As a prominent religious leader, his messages are heard by many online, as well as by those attending his speaking engagements in person.
As the pastor of the Good Shepherd Church in the Polonnaruwa district of Sri Lanka seeks to demonstrate the love of Christ to the members of his community, part of his ministry includes overseeing a drug rehabilitation centre in the local village. According to a recent report, a Christian man working at the centre was attacked on June 16th by two opposing villagers, resulting in abrasions on his neck. The perpetrators also threatened to "break the church."
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