The role of the Sri-Lankan Christian churches in post-war reconciliation and peace building

Abstract

Christianity in Sri-Lanka was firmly established with the invasion of three imperial powers; the Portuguese (1505), the Dutch (1638) and the British (1815) who introduced Catholicism, Calvinism and Anglicanism respectively. The majority of Sinhala Buddhists still feel the impact of nearly five hundred years of Western mercantile imperial colonization promoted with the patronage of Christian missionaries. The scholarly opinion that the Sri-Lankan ethnic conflict is rooted in Western colonization also draws the suspicion among the Sinhala Buddhists towards Christianity. Also the fact that both the Sinhalese and the Tamils belong to Christian churches has become a double edged sword in post war reconciliation and peace building.