About Us

Even though, the Christian community living in Sri Lanka has conducted religious observances joining with religious centers for centuries, no direct link has been established between such religious organizations and government.

During the past decade, the role to be performed by the government on Christian community and their religious centers under concept “All religions should be treated at one and the same level” has been expanded and developed. In the meantime, the attention of government was significantly drawn to the clergy and devotees of Christianity. As a result of this trend, the mutual trust and relationship has been developed systematically within Christian religious body as well as between religious centers and government.

The religious places situated both in urban and rural areas serve as the institutions which lay the foundation to enhance ethics, virtues and morals whilst conducting Christian religious observances. Our service is to provide assistance and sponsorship through government and other institutions, which is necessary to make a generation enriched with morality and to develop Christian community in spiritual and attitudinal aspects making religious places the center for the purpose whilst joining with Roman Catholic Church and the Christian churches affiliated to national Christian Board.

This Department which was established in May 1999 by a Cabinet Memorandum as the Department of Christian Religious Affairs and Cultural Affairs under the Ministry of Cultural Religious Affairs has seen a gradual evolution facing various changes within later years under different Ministries and Ministers. Since 01st August 2007, the Department of Christian Religious Affairs has been developed in a more proper and systematic way becoming a more active institution. Accordingly, the role of the Department was implemented under following four divisions.