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The Anglican Church in Sri Lanka took a historical step last week when it ordained three women as priests – the first women priests in the country.The three women priests ordained by the Anglican Church are the Rev. Malini Devananda – whose husband is also an Anglican priest – the Rev.Chandrika Mayurawathi and the Rev. Glory Jeyaraj.
The ordination ceremony (above) was conducted by Colombo’s Bishop the Right Rev. Duleep de Chickera at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour in Colombo.
Meanwhile, the United States on Friday classified six Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, as religious freedom violators - aside from China, Myanmar, North Korea and Vietnam already blacklisted as worst offenders in the region.
In Sri Lanka, the US report highlighted “violent resistance” by some Buddhists to Christian church activity of particularly evangelical groups. There also were sporadic attacks on Christian churches by Buddhist extremists, it said.
The report illustrates “the importance and the salience of religion in all the big issues in Asia -- extremism, terrorism, democratic transition and integration of countries such as China and Vietnam into the international system,” said Scott Flipse, a senior policy analyst with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a Congress-mandated panel.
“Policy makers and diplomats ignore religion at their peril. More and more the salience of religion is becoming an international relations strategic factor,” he said.
