SRI LANKA — A new government ministry in Sri Lanka has compiled a list of officially recognized churches. However, only the Roman Catholic Church and mainline Protestant denominations were included on the list, while independent and evangelical churches were excluded. The list of recognized churches was posted on the official Web site of the Ministry of Christian Affairs in August.
Evangelical Christians comprise less than 1 percent of the population in Sri Lanka, numbering about 120,000, according to the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (EASL). “With all the challenges we are facing right now, an exclusion from this list might amount to being outlawed,” said a member of the EASL.
“If a church is not included in this list, it will become a ‘rebel’ organization as far as the government is concerned. This will result in that church becoming an underground church, which will have no civic rights. By this I mean that they will not be able to go to the police or to a court of law for assistance or protection when they experience persecution.”
The announcement by the ministry follows a series of violent incidents against churches and pastors in recent months.
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