Pastor Jerome Fernando recently made some contentious remarks in front of a crowded congregation in which he ridiculed the Buddha and claimed that even the Buddha needed Jesus. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed the CID Director to launch an immediate investigation into these remarks.
The National Security Head expressed concerns to the President during a national security council meeting on Monday morning regarding the Pastor’s remarks criticizing Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism, saying that this could cause intercommunal conflicts in the nation.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that he would not permit anyone to destabilize the nation and that anyone who incites religious strife should be investigated and subject to heavy punishment.
The senior security heads were then counseled by Wickremesinghe to look into Jerome’s contentious remarks on faiths as well as his prior sermons. The CID Head was immediately given control of the inquiry by the National Security Head, who also ordered for a team to start a thorough investigation into Pastor Jerome Fernando.
According to a Monday article in The Daily Mirror, Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickramanayake strongly condemned Jerome’s remarks disparaging the Buddha and declared that it would be unacceptable for anyone to do so and that severe measures would be taken against offenders.
A number of venues of religious worship are illegal, including the one where Pastor Jerome made his provocative statements, according to Minister Vidura.
The majority of Buddhists were outraged when a video of Jerome preaching disparaging things about Lord Buddha and Buddhism went viral on social media over the weekend. They requested that the Pastor be immediately disciplined for his remarks.
In his video, Jerome asserted that because enlightenment is their main goal, Buddhists never hear the love of Buddha and that they all need Jesus.
Fernando also denigrated Hinduism and Islam in the same sermon. Jerome said that Muslims cannot even refer to Allah as “Father” in his sermons against Islam.
“In Islam, God is referred to by 99 names. And yet, Jerome noted, “Love is not one of those.
Jerome questioned the rationale behind Hindus’ veneration of so many animals in his lectures mocking Hinduism. “Why do they worship a god who resembles an elephant? Why do they have 10,000 hands for their gods? They are not too far off the mark. Why do people revere cows? Despite being close by, they remain a great distance apart. There needs to be someone who goes to the Hindus and tells them that while what they are doing may be genuine to them, there is a deeper reality.
Jerome Fernando has made headlines recently due to his contentious sermons, and many have questioned how he is able to support such sizable religious gatherings where he is heard preaching against other faiths.
