Pope Francis in Sri Lanka

Pope Francis began his Asian Tour of 2015 with a three day visit to our beloved Motherland; Sri Lanka on the 13th of January. The highlight of his visit was the canonization of Sri Lanka’s first saint; Joseph Vaaz at Galle Face Green.

The Pope set foot on Sri Lankan soil on the 13th and was welcomed by His Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena and the First lady. Various religious leaders: Buddhist, Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders, various Parliamentary Ministers, Defence Staff and a choir gave the Pontiff a beautiful noteworthy welcome.

The pavements on the route from Katunayake to Colombo were packed with devotees of all ages hoping to set their eyes on the Holy Father and maybe receive a blessing or two. Children in their school uniforms were waiting in line carrying banners that sang praises to the Pope. Young people, old people, middle aged people were all simply throbbing with excitement at the mere prospect of seeing the Holy Father.

That was definitely not all. In fact, the excited devotees who flocked to meet the Pontiff were joined by 40 elephants, from various Buddhist temples around Sri Lanka. Like any elephant that graced various religious pageants of Sri Lanka, all forty of these elephants were elaborately and colourfully dressed up for the occasion and were among the first to greet the Pontiff as he left the airport and headed towards Colombo in his Pope Mobile.

The scheduled visit to the Archbishop’s house to meet with the Bishops of Sri Lanka on Tuesday (13) was cancelled because the Holy Father was exhausted after travelling from Katunayake to Colombo in the Pope Mobile.

The Pope, instead rested a bit at the Apostolic Nunciature and then paid a courtesy call on President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat. Gifts were exchanged between the President and the Pope along with a commemorative stamp and a silver coin that was issued to mark the occasion of the Papal Visit.

An important event after the canonization of St. Joseph Vaaz, was the Pontiff setting foot at the Jungle Shrine also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, for a deeply symbolic show of solidarity with the victims of the war.

The second largest gathering, 300,000 people, took place in Madhu, where the Holy Father urged all Sri Lankans as a whole to forgive one another “for all the evil this land has ever known”. The Pope’s hopes for forgiveness and reconcilliation have cause to take effect.

"Only when we come to understand, in the light of the cross, the evil we are capable of and have even been a part of, can we experience true remorse and true repentance," he said after setting free a dove in

a sign of peace. "Only then can we receive the grace to approach one another in true contrition, offering and seeking true forgiveness."

Pope Francis: the People’s Pope

Pope Francis is the 266th Pope in the 21st century but also a Pope of many firsts. Born in Buenos Aires to Italian Immigrants on the 17th of December, 1936, Pope Francis was the first Jesuit Pope from the Americas and the First Non-European Pope since the Syrian Pope Gregory III in 741.

He is also a Pope who lives up to his Papal name and reputation. He chose “Francis” after St. Francis of Assisi, for the saint’s simple and unpretentious life. While the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he lived in a simple apartment and rode the bus. He flew to Rome in economy class after he was elected Pope. He broke bread with the homeless on a daily basis and he held a major Holy Week service at Casal del Marmo jail for minors rather than at the Vatican. However, that is hardly ever the most astonishing fact. During the service, the Pope washed and kissed the feet of 12 young offenders who were also Muslims and women instead of the traditional 12 Catholic men.

It is not surprising that Pope Francis is one of most beloved Popes in the history of the Catholic Church, and was also named the People’s Pope and Person of the Year in 2013 by TIME Magazine.

Ethnic Solidarity

Sri Lanka is a country that was torn apart by civil war, ethnic violence and religious injustice. It was a country that forced mothers to watch their sons die, a country where the younger brother would sign up as a soldier even before the elder brother’s body is sent home in a casket. It was a broken country.

“Sri Lanka, for many years, knew the horrors of civil strife, and is now seeking to consolidate peace and to heal the scars of those years... It can only be done by overcoming evil with good and by cultivating those virtues which foster reconciliation, solidarity and peace” Pope Francis said at the Welcome Ceremony in Katunayake.

However, at Galle Face Green on Wednesday, and before that, at the Interreligious Meeting at BMICH on Tuesday, Sri Lanka witnessed the beauty of interreligious communication and unity. We saw how leaders of different religions in Sri Lanka united together to warmly welcome another great religious leader. We witnessed a great many things including the fact that although religious differences exist, we are one under the sun and moon.

“For too many years the men and women of this country have been victims of civil strife and violence. The fostering of healing and unity is a noble task which is incumbent upon all who have at heart the good of the Nation, and humanity” Pope Francis said at the interreligious meeting held at BMICH on Tuesday.

Pope Francis continued to surprise Sri Lankans during his visit. One such surprise he gave was the last minute decision to change the schedule and visit a Buddhist temple upon the invitation of Upatissa Mahanayake Thera.

Before the Holy Father’s departure, he made the decision to visit the Buddhist Temple in Maradana and to be a part of the religious rites which included the opening of the casket of the relics which belonged to two disciples of Lord Buddha.

Pope Francis made it a point to say that Sri Lanka is in the correct path to healing form the civil war that tore apart the mere fabric of our country, adding that through the pursuit of truth, it is possible to begin healing.

“The process of healing also needs to include the pursuit of truth, not for the sake of opening old wounds, but rather as a necessary means of promoting justice, healing and unity” Pope Francis said.

St. Joseph Vaaz

The Canonization of Joseph Vaaz took place at Galle Face Green on Wednesday (14) to the sound of applause and the peal of bells.

St. Joseph Vaaz was born in 1651 and originally hailed from Goa, India. He arrived in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon), which was under Dutch control, dressed as a beggar to avoid detection. He decided to come to Sri Lanka to help the Catholics who were under the persecution of the Dutch. St. Joseph Vaaz spent 23 years secretly ministering to the Catholic Population helping them to break bread and take part in Holy Mass.

The Sri Lankan saint was captured by the Dutch and accused of spying, but was given protection by the Buddhist King Wimaladarmasooriya II. The King gave St. Joseph Vaaz the freedom to preach in his kingdom, Kandy, where he was known as “Sammana Swami” or the “Angelic Father” by his congregants.

Pope Francis circumvented the requirement of needing two miracles to qualify for sainthood with Joseph Vaaz, just as he did with Pope John Paul II. The only known miracle St. Joseph Vaaz performed was end a drought in the Kandian Kingdom in the presence of King Wimaladarmasooriya II.

“Saint Joseph knew how to offer the truth and the beauty of the Gospel in a multi religious context, with respect, dedication, perseverance and humility” said Pope Francis after the canonization mass.

The Crowds

The term “couldn’t move an inch” came to be completely true when over half a million people gathered on Wednesday at Galle Face Green to witness the canonization of Sri Lanka’s first saint, Joseph Vaaz by the Holy Father Pope Francis.

Every single devotee, who attended mass on Wednesday, was carrying the papal flag, waving it under the hot sun hoping for a glimpse of His Holiness Pope Francis. The collective murmur and excitement was almost tangible in the air when the Holy Father arrived in the Papal Mobile looking somewhat refreshed after his “exhaustion” spell the day before.

In a country that includes only a 7% of Catholics with around 20.48 million people, the gathering of 500,000 citizens astounded even the Vatican.

The sheer number of Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims that spilled into Galle Road because Galle Face Green could not contain such a great number was both astonishing and also a quiet sigh of relief.

In Galle Face Green that day, we saw that the citizens of our country and the sheer numbers they represent as a whole. Pope Francis spoke of religious freedom and the right to pursue the truth in a person, but according to what we directly witnessed, that concept is hardly a dream anymore. It was visible in flesh and blood all throughout the Holy Father’s visit.

“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. Each individual must be free, alone or in association with others, to seek the truth and to openly express his or her religious convictions, free from intimidation and external compulsion” Pope Francis said at the canonization mass at Galle Face Green on Wednesday.

What the People say

A Pope is the living, breathing impersonation of Christ on Earth. He is the spiritual guide to all Catholics and the leader of the Church. To many Catholic devotees, seeing a Pope is probably the highlight of their spiritual lives. When the Vatican issued the notice stating that Pope Francis has accepted the invitation the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa made, all the Catholics of Sri Lanka were eagerly awaiting the great visit.

Doubts cropped up among many after the former president immediately called in for a Presidential Elections, because Sri Lanka was prone to pre and post election violence. Most people thought that the visit will be cancelled because a Pontiff does not visit a country during elections as it would seem as mere campaigning propaganda.

However, the much awaited visit took place beautifully in an entirely peaceful post election atmosphere. The Holy Father arrived as scheduled and the citizens of Sri Lanka made the country proud with the extremely warm hospitality that was granted to the Pontiff, according to the Vatican Spokesperson Fr. Federico Lombedi.

The sheer number of people that gathered along the streets of Negombo to Colombo was indeed astonishing, but the half a million that gathered to witness the canonization of St. Joseph Vaaz astounded even the Vatican.

Most of the devotees that witnessed this important event arrived the day before, Tuesday (13) and stayed overnight.

“It was the Holy Father. We would have stayed here for a week if that was what it took to see him, and witness the event where St. Joseph Vaaz was finally canonized” said Manori Perera of Kurunegala.

“Seeing the Holy Father was a feeling that is not easy to describe. My mind went black. I want him to come back to our motherland because it was the single best thing that has ever happened in my life” said Nipuna Shenal of Ekala.

“I can’t begin to describe the feeling I got when I saw the Holy Father. It was like I saw Jesus in the flesh. It was what I dreamt of my whole life. And I’m so lucky to have been able to witness this in my lifetime, and I never thought I’d live to see another Pope” said Thushari Karunanayake, Ground Staff to Sri Lankan Airlines.

“I don’t know how to express what I felt. I was that happy. The Pope is a person who can steal your thoughts, consciousness and heart. I loved looking at him. I felt the inner peace, and I couldn’t look away” said Kalpani Senanayake of Ragama.

by Cassendra Doole

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