BY Ruwani Fonseka
In a sermon recently preached by 'Prophet' Jerome Fernando in his church, in which he claimed that despite Lord Buddha claiming to be 'Enlightened', even Lord Buddha needed Jesus as Lord Buddha was not indeed 'enlightened'.
The video clip in which Fernando makes such a controversial statement has been circulating on Social Media and has caused an outrage amongst those who have seen it, especially the Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. Fernando additionally mentions that 'Buddhists need Jesus, not Lord Buddha, if they are to be enlightened '.
The Morning contacted Mr Somaratne Vidanapathirana, Secretary to The Ministry of Buddhasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, who condemned the statement as extremely 'derogatory', especially in a Buddhist country.
"Not acceptable at all. He (Jerome) can preach whatever he wants pertaining to his religion, but he doesn't need to condemn or make such comparisons. This is a Buddhist country and people have been given the freedom to follow the religion of their choice, but comparisons as such is not acceptable whatsoever. Shows his standard," said Mr Vidanapathirana.
He further noted that the Ministry has filed for legal action against Prophet Jerome Fernando, citing that such 'preaching' could harm social security and affect the harmony between citizens of the country.
"We have taken the matter up legally. We have also taken it up with the IGP and he is looking into this matter. Even in the past, we, as a ministry, have filed legal action against those who are a threat to the social security of the country and those who cause racial and religious chaos. We will ensure that religious harmony will not be disrupted. By what Fernando is doing, he is also tarnishing the name of other Christian denominations that are peacefully following their way of life," he concluded.
Jerome Fernando hit the spotlight when his 'spiritual father' Uebert Angel was exposed by Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit for Money laundering and Gold smuggling.
Angel, the Zimbabwean diplomat and citizen of the United Kingdom, was closely followed by Al Jazeera for many months until his money laundering scam was exposed by self proclamation.
Meanwhile, 'Prophet' Jerome Fernando has been accused of aiding Angel in his dealings, only because Fernando rose to fame within a short time span and appears in public in luxury attire, and church donations are not accounted for.
Fernando reportedly wears only Tom Ford, Gucci and several other luxury brands, travels in luxury vehicles and built his church, The Miracle Dome, within a short span from funds he claimed were donations.
When The Morning contacted a member of the church board, it was revealed that KPMG was the official auditors for the church. Whereas, despite several attempts by The Morning, KPMG has neither denied nor claimed to be the official auditors.