Sri Lanka's Buddhist authorities have suspended a senior monk accused of child sexual abuse, in one of the most prominent cases involving a clergyman in the predominantly Buddhist country.
On May 10, the Malwatte Chapter of Buddhist monks announced: "The chapter has decided to temporarily suspend Pallegama Hemarathana until legal proceedings against him are concluded."
Police arrested the 71-year-old monk on May 9 after receiving a complaint that he sexually abused an 11-year-old girl in 2022. The incident occurred at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple in Anuradhapura, about 200 km north of the capital Colombo. At the time of his arrest, the monk was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo.
Authorities said the victim's mother was also arrested on charges of aiding the monk. Hemarathana has since been released on bail, and the court has barred him from leaving the country.
Hemarathana was the chief caretaker of the sacred Bodhi tree at the temple—a site visited by thousands of pilgrims daily. Buddhists believe the tree is descended from the one that sheltered the Buddha when he attained enlightenment.
The suspension came on the day of Vesak, a festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.
This is the most serious case involving a high-ranking monk in Sri Lanka, though there have been previous child abuse cases involving clergy. Last month, 22 monks were arrested at Colombo's international airport for hiding 110 kg of cannabis in their luggage—the largest drug smuggling operation ever uncovered at the airport. Those monks remain in custody awaiting trial and have not been suspended.
