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Sri Lanka's Buddhist hierarchy suspended connected Saturday (May 30, 2026) a elder monk accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl, successful a high-profile lawsuit that has shocked the religiously blimpish nation.
In a uncommon disciplinary move, 71-year-old Pallegama Hemarathana was stripped of his responsibilities arsenic the main custodian of a highly venerated ficus grown from a sapling of a histrion believed to person sheltered the Buddha.
"The Council of Monks of the Malwatte Chapter decided contiguous to suspend Ven. Hemarathana until the decision of the ineligible proceedings against him," a connection issued by the main priests said.
Police arrested Hemarathana connected May 9 implicit allegations that helium had sexually abused an 11-year-old miss successful 2022 astatine the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple successful Anuradhapura, 200 kilometres (125 miles) northbound of Colombo.
The monk has since been granted bail portion a tribunal has barred him from travelling abroad.
The temple draws thousands of radical regular who wage homage astatine the histrion Buddhists judge is intimately connected to the aforesaid ficus that sheltered the Buddha erstwhile helium attained enlightenment.
Hemarathana's suspension came connected the aforesaid time Sri Lanka celebrated Vesak, the day of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing.
There person been respective cases of clergy abusing children successful Sri Lanka, but Hemarathana is the astir elder monk to beryllium accused of specified a crime.
In a abstracted case, a radical of 22 monks arrested successful April with 110 kilograms (242 pounds) of cannabis person remained successful custody pending prosecution, but not suspended from the priesthood.
