Diocese of Colombo
| Diocese of Colombo | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Ecclesiastical province | Colombo |
| Metropolitan | Rt. Revd. Justin Welby |
| Archdeaconries | Colombo, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Jaffna |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 3,838 km2 (1,482 sq mi) |
| Population - Total |
(as of 2006) 5,692,004 |
| Schools | 11 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Church of Ceylon |
| Rite | Anglican / Christian |
| Established | 1886 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour |
| Co-cathedral | Christ Church, Mutwal |
| Secular priests | 127 |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop of Colombo & Vicar General of the Diocese of Kurunegala | Dhiloraj Ranit Canagasabey |
| Archdeacons |
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| Map | |
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Office of the Church of Ceylon, Diocese of Colombo |
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| Website | |
| Website of the Diocese of Colombo | |
The Diocese of Colombo (Anglican Church of Ceylon) is based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The diocesan bishop's seat is Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour. The current Bishop of Colombo is Dhiloraj Canagasabey.
The Diocese of Colombo covers the Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Uva Provinces together with the Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam districts.
The first Church of England services were held on the island in 1796 and in 1818 missionaries were sent to Ceylon to spread the church. Originally it had been part of the diocese of Calcutta and later Madras. In 1930 the Anglican Church in India separated from the Church of England and became the Province of India, Burma and Ceylon. The Diocese of Colombo was founded in 1845, as the diocese of the Church of England in Ceylon with the appointment of its first bishop, James Chapman. It was established by law in 1886.
In 1947, the churches of South India united to form the new Church of South India. The churches in North India and Pakistan followed soon after. Burma and Bangladesh formed their own church. Sri Lanka therefore became extra-provincial within the Anglican Communion under the metropolitical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In 1946 the Diocese of Kurunegala was formed out of the diocese of Colombo to include parts of the North-Western, North-Central and Central Provinces of Sri Lanka. The Diocese of Kurunagala was legally recognised in 1972. Together the Diocese of Colombo and Kurunagala constitute the Church of Ceylon.
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