Govt. finalising arrangements for Pope’s visit

Monday, 3 November 2014 01:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government is currently in the process of making all the necessary arrangements for the visit of Pope Francis to the island, a communiqué issued by the President’s Media Unit said. The visit is taking place following an invitation extended to the Pope by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The President last year wrote to Pope Francis extending an invitation for him to visit Sri Lanka. Last month, the President and First Lady Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa travelled to the Vatican where they received an audience with the Pope and personally extended the invitation to visit the island. The Vatican in July this year confirmed that Pope Francis would make an Apostolic Trip to Sri Lanka from 12 to 15 January. Under the guidance of President Rajapaksa, the Government is taking all necessary measures to facilitate the successful visit of Pope Francis, the communiqué said. “Toward this end, all relevant ministries are working together with officials from the Vatican and the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka to finalise the arrangements for the visit,” it added. The Government said it is confident that the visit of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka will be a success.

Pope marks All Saints Day with cemetery visit

Pope Francis celebrates a mass on All Saints’ Day at the Verano cemetery in Rome 1 November - REUTERS Reuters: Pope Francis on Saturday (November 1) spoke against “an industry of destruction” practiced by mankind as he marked All Saints Day with a mass at Rome’s main cemetery, the Verano. Large crowds had gathered for the solemn outdoor event among tombstones. Francis wove his homily around thoughts he said had come to his mind earlier in the afternoon. Addressing the crowd with few pre-written notes, the pope said humans were “capable of destroying the earth”. “Man takes possession of everything, believes he is god, believes he is the king. And wars, the wars that continue raging, not exactly helping to sow the seed of life but to destroy. It is an industry of destruction,” he said. The pope said his thoughts were with refugees who were bound to suffer as temperatures were dropping at the approach of winter. But he added that people everywhere in the world were suffering. “I tell you, it seems like these people, these children who are hungry and sick, it seems they don’t count, that they are another species and not human,” he said. “And this multitude of people is in front of God and asks: please, salvation; please, peace; please, bread; please, jobs; please, children and grandparents; please, youth with dignity and ability to work,” he added. All Saints’ Day, coupled with All Souls’ Day on November 2, pays homage to the Christian saints and the souls of the dead.