Ranil tasks John to oversee preparations for Pope’s visit

Monday, 12 January 2015 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka is making the arrangements to welcome the Pope on Tuesday after the peaceful Presidential election that brought a change in the top post. The new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremasinghe has entrusted his United National Party (UNP) senior parliamentarian John Amaratunga with the duties to elaborately organise the Pope’s visit to the island from 13-15 January. Amaratunga told national radio that a special discussion will be held at the Archbishop’s house in Colombo Saturday to

discuss the arrangements. A meeting with the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs will be held in the afternoon to discuss the issue. The Pope is scheduled to leave Rome on Monday (12) and will arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake at 9 a.m. on Tuesday (13). A welcoming ceremony to receive the Pontiff will be conducted at the airport. The Sri Lankan Council of Catholic Bishops will meet the Pope at the Archbishop’s house in Colombo at 1:15 p.m. on the same day. New President Maithripala Sirisena will conduct a special meeting with the Pontiff at 5 p.m.at the President’s House. Pope Francis will then speak at an Interreligious Meeting at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo at 6:15 p.m. The Holy Mass and Canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Galle Face Green in Colombo on Wednesday (14). The Pope will be taken to Madhu Church by helicopter at 2 p.m. and the Pope will hold a mass and deliver a speech at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary at Madhu at 3:30 p.m. He will be transferred back to Colombo by helicopter after the mass. Thursday (15) morning, the Pope will visit to the Chapel ‘Our Lady of Lanka’ at Bolawalana. Following the Departure Ceremony at the Katunayake International Airport at 8:45 a.m. the Pope will leave for Manila, Philippines at 9 a.m.