It has been confirmed Pope Francis will visit Sri Lanka this January, marking his second apostolic visit to Asia. From Sri Lanka, he will travel to the Philippines.
During a meeting with priests, the archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, confirmed the Holy Father’s Jan. 13-15 visit to Sri Lanka, reported Fides.
Encouraging the faithful to pray for the Holy Father’s visit, the cardinal asked the priests present at the meeting to inform the faithful in parishes and Catholic institutions that the Pope’s trip will take place.
In addition, the archbishop of Colombo informed them that the Holy See and local episcopal conference are working on the details.
The program, he said, will be defined during the preparatory visit of a Vatican delegation in Sri Lanka in early November.
In recent weeks, he said, the bishops discussed with relevant government authorities the safety measures to be implemented.
Due to presidential elections potentially being set around the days of the Pope’s visit in January, Church leaders are asking the vote to be postponed at least to the end of January 2015.
