Tissa Balasuriya

Tissa Balasuriya was a Sri Lankan Catholic priest and liberation theologian whose work connected Christian theology with social justice, human rights, and the experiences of marginalized communities. He founded Colombo’s Centre for Society and Religion and helped establish the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians. His book *Mary and Human Liberation* led to a major doctrinal dispute with the Vatican; his excommunication was lifted in January 1998 after a statement of reconciliation.