Sri Lanka: Church Attack Injures Five

Religion Today | Updated: Jun 28, 2013

Sri Lanka: Church Attack Injures Five

Five Sri Lankan believers sustained injuries after a Buddhist monk and a mob stormed the New Life Church in Hanwella, Colombo District, on Sunday, Open Doors USA reports. At about 9:45 a.m., a Buddhist monk stopped the New Life Church pastor who was out on a personal errand. "The monk hurled derogatory words and picked up a fallen coconut branch and assaulted the pastor," according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka. "A week prior to this, the [same] monk went to the village school principal and demanded that the pastor be removed from the school committee." The pastor fled to his church, but the relentless Buddhist monk pursued him. When the pastor reached the church premises, about 20 young men were already gathered outside waiting for him. The men encircled the pastor and they began to beat him for allegedly assaulting the same Buddhist monk. "The mob then forcibly entered the church," NCEASL said, "disrupting a worship service that was taking place. They assaulted the church members who were praying and damaged the musical instruments inside."



Sri Lanka: Church Attack Injures Five