adminPope Francis has arrived in Sri Lanka at the start of a weeklong Asian tour, saying the island nation cannot fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed.
The pope delivered a speech on the tarmac of Colombo’s international airport yesterday, in the first papal visit in two decades.
“The process of healing also needs to include the pursuit of truth,” said the pope, whose visit will focus on reconciliation in a country still recovering from a 37-year ethnic conflict that pitted Tamil separatists against government troops.
“All members of society must work together; all must have a voice. All must be free to express their concerns, their needs, their aspirations and their fears”.
The pope arrived to a colourful welcome ceremony, complete with traditional drummers and dancers from both the Sinhalese and Tamil groups, and a children’s choir singing a song of welcome in both languages of Sri Lanka – as well as English and Italian.
Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Colombo, said a lot of excitement has been seen, not just among the Catholic faithful but from the population as a whole.
“We’ve seen people lining the streets along the route that Pope Francis will take as he’s driven into Colombo from the airport this morning.”
Francis has a busy first day, including meetings with the country’s bishops and representatives of the country’s major religious groups.
He is expected to call for greater dialogue among the country’s Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Catholics amid a surge in anti-Muslim violence by fundamentalist Buddhists. – Al Jazeera
Online Reporter