Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 14, 2015 / 02:31 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday evening following his scheduled events, Pope Francis made a brief, unplanned visit to a Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka in a gesture of interreligious dialogue, the Holy See press officer has said. Fr. Federico Lombardi explained Jan. 14 that after his visit to the Marian shrine at Madhu, Pope Francis met political leaders at the nunciature in Colombo, and then went to archbishop's rectory hoping to meet the Sri Lankan bishops since he missed them due to scheduling delays the day prior. The bishops, however, had not yet arrived, and so Pope Francis went to Mahabodhi Viharaya, a nearby Buddhist temple to which he had been invited, Fr. Lombardi recounted. He saw a statue of the Buddha and two other Buddhist holy men, and he was invited by the monks to see the temple's stupa, a bell containing relics. The stupa is opened only once a year, but a concession was made for the Pope, and he was allowed to see inside the bell. The monks sang a prayer as it was opened, and Pope Francis “was listening with great respect.” Francis was only able to stay at the temple for some 20 minutes “because the Pope had to to back to meet the bishops,” Fr. Lombardi explained, adding that it was “a great occasion to continue and to foster dialogue with the Buddhists.” Fr. Cyril Garmeni Fernando, a local priest, said that it is a common occurrence in Sri Lanka for Catholics to visit Buddhist temples: “There are many temples around, many temples per parish. We go to their celebrations when invited, they come to ours when invited.” Some 70 percent of Sri Lankans are Buddhists, while Christians account for seven percent of the population. Pope Francis' gesture, he added, is “a strong message for our people – not only for Catholics – which will show his good will toward other religions. Therefore we are grateful for this, also, this nice, and very strong gesture.” Fr. Lombardi put the impromptu visit in the context of recent papacies: “I have seen that to visit a mosque or a synagogue was not normal for the Popes until a certain time; now it's still not normal, but it happens.” “It means that interreligious dialogue is going on … practices of this are developing, and also this visit is one of them.” Read more

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 14, 2015 / 03:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a Marian shine during his three-day trip to Sri Lanka, Pope Francis touched on the country's brutal decades-long civil war and pointed to the Mother of God as the ultimate witness of forgiveness. “In this difficult effort to forgive and find peace, Mary is always here to encourage us, to guide us, to lead us,” the Pope said Jan. 14 at the Our Lady of Madhu shrine in Sri Lanka's Mannar district. “Just as she forgave her son's killers at the foot of his cross, then held his lifeless body in her hands, so now she wants to guide Sri Lankans to greater reconciliation, so that the balm of God's pardon and mercy may bring true healing to all.” Pope Francis lands in Sri Lanka just five years after the country concluded a nearly 30-year civil war between Sinhala nationalists and Tamil separatists which claimed at least 60,000 lives. Although Sri Lanka is a mostly Buddhist country – with Christians accounting for just eight percent of its 20.4 million people – Pope Francis is the third pontiff to visit the country. Pope Paul VI made a visit in 1970, and Pope St. John Paul II visited 20 years ago in 1995. Bishop Joseph Rayappu of Mannar greeted the Pope at the shrine Wednesday, thanking the Holy Father for the witness of his “admirable love for the poor and the suffering.” “You are visiting our country – Sri Lanka – as a messenger of Peace based on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation,” the bishop said. He noted that Mannar is the location of the first martyrdom in Asia, as some 600 believers gave their lives for the faith in 1544. “The blood of the Martyrs of Mannar has become the seed of the faith in the entire North and eventually in the whole country,” Bishop Rayappu reflected. He also pointed to the significance of the shrine itself, with 400 years of history. “This shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary had fostered the faith and the devotion of all our dear people from all over the country regardless of all differences of race, religion or language for the last four centuries,” he said. “It still remains the privileged Marian Shrine of fostering priestly and religious vocations in our dioceses.” During his remarks, Pope Francis acknowledged the “families here today which suffered greatly in the long conflict which tore open the heart of Sri Lanka. Many people, from north and south alike, were killed in the terrible violence and bloodshed of those years.” “But Our Lady remained always with you,” he said. “Mary never forgot her children on this resplendent island. Just as she never left the side of her Son on the Cross, so she never left the side of her suffering Sri Lankan children.” “In the wake of so much hatred, violence and destruction, we want to thank her for continuing to bring us Jesus, who alone has the power to heal open wounds and to restore peace to broken hearts,” the Pope added. “But we also want to ask her to implore for us the grace of God’s mercy. We ask also for the grace to make reparation for our sins and for all the evil which this land has known.” “It is not easy to do this,” he emphasized. “Yet 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.” After his Sri Lankan visit, the Pope will fly to the Philippines, where he will visit through Jan. 19.  In stark contrast to Sri Lanka, 86 percent of the Philippines' 93.4 million people identify as Catholic. While the country has not known as much political unrest as Sri Lanka recently, the Philippines has been ravaged by several typhoons, earthquakes and other natural disasters in recent years. Read more

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 13, 2015 / 11:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Among the attendees at the papal Mass in Sri Lanka on Wednesday was Romello Dias, a 20-year-old man who has been suffering major health problems for five years. “I want a big blessin... Read more

Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 13, 2015 / 10:28 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis on Jan. 14 canonized the 17th century priest Joseph Vaz during Mass at the Galle Face Green in Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo. St. Joseph Vaz is the first canonized saint from Sri Lanka. The full text of the Pope's homily follows. Homily of the Holy Father "All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God" (Is 52:10) This is the magnificent prophecy which we heard in today’s first reading. Isaiah foretells the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the ends of the earth. This prophecy has a special meaning for us, as we celebrate the canonization of a great missionary of the Gospel, Saint Joseph Vaz. Like countless other missionaries in the history of the Church, he responded to the Risen Lord’s command to make disciples of every nation (cf. Mt 28:19). By his words, but more importantly, by the example of his life, he led the people of this country to the faith which gives us "an inheritance among all God’s holy ones" (cf. Acts 20:32).#PopeFrancis proclaims Joseph Vaz a saint in Colombo #PopeinSL https://t.co/pTty9HBSrW — Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) January 14, 2015 In Saint Joseph we see a powerful sign of God’s goodness and love for the people of Sri Lanka. But we also see in him a challenge to persevere in the paths of the Gospel, to grow in holiness ourselves, and to testify to the Gospel message of reconciliation to which he dedicated his life. A priest of the Oratory in his native Goa, Saint Joseph Vaz came to this country inspired by missionary zeal and a great love of its people. Because of religious persecution, he dressed as a beggar, performing his priestly duties in secret meetings of the faithful, often at night. His efforts provided spiritual and moral strength to the beleaguered Catholic population. He had a particular desire to serve the ill and suffering. His ministry to the sick was so appreciated by the king during a smallpox epidemic in Kandy that he was allowed greater freedom to minister. From Kandy, he could reach out to other parts of the island. He spent himself in missionary work and died, exhausted, at the age of fifty-nine, revered for his holiness. Saint Joseph Vaz continues to be an example and a teacher for many reasons, but I would like to focus on three. First, he was an exemplary priest. Here today with us are many priests and religious, both men and women, who, like Joseph Vaz, are consecrated to the service of God and neighbour. I encourage each of you to look to Saint Joseph as a sure guide. He teaches us how to go out to the peripheries, to make Jesus Christ everywhere known and loved. He is also an example of patient suffering in the cause of the Gospel, of obedience to our superiors, of loving care for the Church of God (cf. Acts 20:28). Like ourselves, Saint Joseph Vaz lived in a period of rapid and profound transformation; Catholics were a minority, and often divided within; there was occasional hostility, even persecution, from without. And yet, because he was constantly united with the crucified Lord in prayer, he could become for all people a living icon of God’s mercy and reconciling love. Second, Saint Joseph shows us the importance of transcending religious divisions in the service of peace. His undivided love for God opened him to love for his neighbor; he ministered to those in need, whoever and wherever they were. His example continues to inspire the Church in Sri Lanka today. She gladly and generously serves all members of society. She makes no distinction of race, creed, tribe, status or religion in the service she provides through her schools, hospitals, clinics, and many other charitable works. All she asks in return is the freedom to carry out this mission. 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. As the life of Saint Joseph Vaz teaches us, genuine worship of God bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred and violence, but in respect for the sacredness of life, respect for the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all. Finally, Saint Joseph gives us an example of missionary zeal. Though he came to Ceylon to minister to the Catholic community, in his evangelical charity he reached out to everyone. Leaving behind his home, his family, the comfort of his familiar surroundings, he responded to the call to go forth, to speak of Christ wherever he was led. 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. This is also the way for the followers of Jesus today. We are called to go forth with the same zeal, the same courage, of Saint Joseph, but also with his sensitivity, his reverence for others, his desire to share with them that word of grace (cf. Acts 20:32) which has the power to build them up. We are called to be missionary disciples. Dear brothers and sisters, I pray that, following the example of Saint Joseph Vaz, the Christians of this country may be confirmed in their faith and make an ever greater contribution to peace, justice and reconciliation in Sri Lankan society. This is what Christ asks of you. This is what Saint Joseph teaches you. This is what the Church needs of you. I commend all of you to the prayers of our new saint, so that, in union with the Church throughout the world, you may sing a new song to the Lord and declare his glory to all the ends of the earth. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised (cf. Ps 96: 1-4)! Amen.   Read more