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VATICAN CITY - A theologian in Sri Lanka who challenged the
pope's authority and Roman Catholic teaching on baptism, original
sin and the virginity of Mary has been excommunicated. Saturday
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that
Tissa Balasuriya, a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, was
excommunicated after the pope refused a final appeal about his
1990 book, "Mary and Human Liberation."

Responding to local reports of his impending excommunication last
month, Balasurirya had said he was "perturbed" that Vatican
authorities "should take such unilateral and unjust action
regarding my book." He had maintained that baptism, the sacrament
that marks a Catholic's official entrance into the church, was
not necessary and refused to recognize the infallibility of the
pope. The priest also denied that Mary was a virgin and was
assumed bodily into heaven, as church teaching holds.

In the official notice dated Thursday, the Congregation said
Balasuriya had questioned the divine nature of Jesus and denied
the dogma of original sin, which holds that all people are born
with the stain of the sin of the first human beings. Balausirya
"cannot be considered a Catholic theologian," the congregation
wrote.

In 1994, the Sri Lankan bishops' conference declared that
Balasuriya's book was incompatible with Catholic teaching.
Balasuriya had contended that his text had been misinterpreted.
He was given further opportunity to demonstrate his orthodoxy
when he was summoned to the Vatican embassy in Sri Lanka.

"Father Balasuriya once again refused and appealed to the Holy
Father, asking that a letter he had prepared be delivered
directly to the Pope," contending that his "Mary and Human
Liberation" was indeed orthodox, the Congregation said.

Balasuriya was informed that the pope had personally followed the
case and had agreed to the excommunication, the congregation
said.


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