Pope Francis expressed today to the leaders of the major religious communities in Sri Lanka the will of the Catholic Church to work jointly for the sake of prosperity of citizens and the country.
“We must demand our communities, clearly and unequivocally, to fully live the principles of peace and coexistence encompassed in every religion, and denounce the acts of violence committed”, said the Supreme Pontiff in a meeting with leaders of all religious denominations of the island.
In Sri Lanka, the first stop of an Asian tour that will also take him to the Philippines on Thursday, 70 percent of the population is Buddhist, 12 percent Hindu, 10 percent Muslim and 7.5 percent Christian.
Francis recalled that “for many years men and women from this country were victims of civil conflicts and violence”, and stressed that what is needed now is “recovery and unity”.
After noting that “this is a noble task concerning all”, he hopes that the interfaith and ecumenical cooperation will prove that nobody has to give up their ethnic or religious identity to live in harmony with others.
“For the sake of peace, it should never be allowed that religious beliefs be used to justify violence and war”, stressed the Holy Father.
Before the Pope held a private meeting with the newly elected Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who on Tuesday morning led the welcoming ceremony at Colombo International Airport, along with the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.
Because of the time it took him to greet the thousands of people who cheered him outside the airport terminal, and from there downtown, the Head of the Vatican suspended a meeting that had been scheduled for the afternoon with bishops of the island.
On Wednesday, the second of his three days in Sri Lanka, Francis will say a Mass and will proceed to the canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz, the apostle of Sri Lanka, in Galle Face Green, an ocean-side promenade located in the most central part of Colombo.
Afterwards in helicopter, he will cover about 260 kilometers to the north to offer a prayer at the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Madhu, the oldest in the country. (PL)