In Sri Lanka, few posts are as sensitive as the man in charge of the Buddha Sasana and the faith he follows, especially when Ruwanweli Maha Seya is part of the story. With the Anuradhapura sacred area plan already stirring debate, posts and videos began claiming that Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi is a “Calvary Catholic” and that he belittled Ruwanweli Maha Seya by calling it a “monument”. Here are the posts behind the claim.
Social Media Posts:
After the Buddha Sasana Council met on October 20, 2026, Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi explained the development plans around Ruwanweli Maha Seya. Two things drew sharp criticism: the word “monument” being used in connection with the stupa, and the Minister describing the Hiniduma Calvary hill as “world-revered”.
On October 28, more posts appeared with lines such as “The Buddha Sasana Minister of a Sinhala Buddhist country is a Calvary Catholic” and “It’s not Ruwanweli Maha Seya or Swarnamali Maha Seya. It’s a monument.”
Facebook 1 | Facebook 2 | Facebook 3 | Facebook 4 | Facebook 5
Claim examined: Buddha Sasana Minister Hiniduma Sunil Senevi is a Catholic, and on October 20, 2026 he belittled Ruwanweli Seya by calling it “a monument, not a Maha Seya.”
Fact-Check:
Official Records List the Minister as a Buddhist
Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi is a Buddhist. His profile on the Parliament of Sri Lanka website lists his religion as Buddhism, as seen here.
When we asked, the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs also confirmed that the Minister is a Buddhist.
This is not the first time the claim has done the rounds. In November 2025, we fact-checked a similar claim that the Buddha Sasana Minister was not a Buddhist and found it was false.
Also Read: Is the Buddha Sasana Minister Not a Buddhist?
Why the Minister Was Labelled a “Calvary Catholic”
In a YouTube interview published on July 15, 2023, the Minister explained his family’s link to Calvary. He said his father, born in 1923, moved from Mapalagama to Hiniduma in 1936 to work in his brother’s shop near the church.
His father learned carpentry at a vocational training center run by the church and went on to do all the carpentry work for St. Anne’s Church and the Calvary shrine, as the Minister explains here.
In the same interview, he said Hiniduma is a Buddhist village where the temple and the church lived side by side without conflict. A 2006 article notes that the Hiniduma Calvary shrine began in 1948 on an idea by the then Assistant Parish Priest, Fr. Cyril Edirisinghe, and that it was built in a Buddhist village with help from both Buddhist and Christian villagers.
Calvary is the hill outside Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified (more here). The Hiniduma Calvary shrine was built as a replica of that hill.
So, the “Hiniduma Calvary Catholic” label in the posts was attached to the Minister not because he is Catholic, but because of his father’s work as a carpenter on the shrine.
“World-Revered” Referred to Calvary’s Importance to Catholics
The word “world-revered” in the reel comes from that same interview. There, he said, “My father was the carpenter who built the world-famous Calvary,” adding that his father probably never imagined back then that it would become a “world-revered Calvary.” You can hear it here.
He then drew a comparison: “Calvary is to Catholics and Christians what Sri Pada is to Buddhists.” In other words, he was talking about what the site means to Catholics, not about his own faith.
In the same conversation, he said he made a nativity crib at Christmas as a child and still puts up a Christmas tree for his son. Some may read this openness to other faiths as proof that he is Catholic, but nowhere does he say he is one. Instead, he spoke about how a monk at the village temple shaped his life.
On October 20, He Called Ruwanweliseya “Swarnamali Chaithyarajayanan Wahanse”
In the full video of the press conference held after the Buddha Sasana Council meeting on October 20, the Minister begins speaking about Anuradhapura at 16:16. Explaining the gazette, he said, “Ruwanweli Seya, our Swarnamali Chaithyarajayanan Wahanse, the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and the entire Atamasthana are inside the high-sensitivity zone,” as seen here.
At no point in the full statement did he use the words “Ruwanweli Maha Seya” or describe it as “just a monument”.
He Used “Monument” for the Wall and the Protected Area
He used the word “monument” twice. First, speaking about the Elephant Wall beyond the sand courtyard (weli maluwa) of Ruwanweli Seya, he said, “Those are archaeological monuments. No one can alter or remove them.” (here)
Second, speaking about the fence, he said, “This fence is being built a long way off, so that those land sections are included in this monument.” (here) Here, “this monument” means the protected sacred area. The short clips and posts doing the rounds were built from this segment.
It is true that he used the word “monument” for the sacred area, and many Buddhists may find that word jarring next to the great stupa. However, the English text of the gazette itself describes the area, including the Atamasthana, as “historic monuments.” The Minister appears to have simply used that administrative and archaeological language.
The Gazette Does Propose a Fence; the Minister Says It Is Far From the Stupa
The controversy began with Extraordinary Gazette No. 2477/44, issued on February 27, 2026 under the signature of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister Bimal Rathnayake (here). It updates the Anuradhapura Sacred Area Plan gazetted in 1984 and describes High-Sensitivity Zone A as the “primary sacred site including Atamasthana and other historic monuments.”
The gazette’s proposals include “Construction of security fence around Ruwenweliseya,” so the questions raised about a fence are not baseless. According to the Minister, however, the fence will not be built close to the stupa but far out, near the road, so that additional land is covered. We could not find a map showing the fence’s exact location.
He also said that claims about removing flower altars, building a Rama temple or Indian government involvement were false, and that both ministries intend to take legal action over them.
Claim 2:
Meanwhile, social media posts also claimed that Minister Sunil Senevi had written a book calling Prince Siddhartha selfish.
No Such Book by the Minister Exists
Our checks confirmed that the Minister has not written any such book, and that no book by that name has been published. The claim is false.
The media coordinator of the Ministry of Buddhasasana also confirmed to us that the story is false.
Our fact-check on a fake BBC card about Anuradhapura that spread around the same time is here.
Also Read: PM Harini Amarasuriya “Anuradhapura Not Only for Buddhists” BBC Card Is Fake
Ministry Related to Buddhist Affairs Continues to Operate, Despite False Abolition Claims
Controversial Statement by the Buddha Sasana Minister on the Diyawadana Nilame Post?
Did Mohamed Muneer Take the Oath as Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana?
Join us to learn more about our fact-check investigations.
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok | YouTube
Conclusion:
The claim that Buddha Sasana Minister Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi is a Catholic is false. Parliament’s records list his religion as Buddhism, the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs confirmed he is a Buddhist, and his link to Hiniduma Calvary comes from his father’s work there as a carpenter.
On October 20, he referred to Ruwanweli Seya as “Swarnamali Chaithyarajayanan Wahanse” and used the word “monument” only for the Elephant Wall and the protected sacred area, in line with the gazette’s own wording. He did not say the Maha Seya was “a monument”. The separate claim that he wrote a book calling Prince Siddhartha selfish is also false, as the Ministry’s media coordinator confirmed.
