Senaka Weeraratna

The Portuguese landed in Sri Lanka in 1505 and after a couple of decades in occupation started the inhumane Portuguese Inquisition intending to destroy Buddhism Temples and the Buddhist Civilization, and convert Buddhists to Christianity. Its inspiration was the Goa Inquisition which led to the Inquisition being conducted in almost all territories of the Portuguese Asian Empire.

It is the Portuguese that started Hate institutions i.e., Catholic Church and Missionary Schools. From day one in pre – school the innocent child is brainwashed in self – hate. To transfer his loyalty from the local sovereign to the foreign sovereign in the Vatican i.e., The Pope, and change religion by conversion. 

The Sinhala Buddhists did not invade foreign lands and conquer the territory of non – Buddhists. But three European powers did. Portuguese, Dutch and the British. The Catholic Church keeps preaching to the Buddhists on Human Rights from a pedestal.  But it keeps mum on the fact that it was the willing collaborater of the Portuguese Conquistadors. 

Most of the Churches in Sri Lanka are on land forcibly seized from Buddhist Temples and the Churches were built on sites of destroyed Buddhist Temples. Portuguese Historian Queyroz gives the full details.

 The Buddhists have every right to call for accountability including an apology and reparations from the Vatican for the vast damage caused to the Buddhists, Buddhist monks and temples by the Conquistadors and the Catholic Church in the past. It is not a closed chapter as yet.