Sri Lanka Govt. Church confirm Pope’s visit -Election date unanounced

Mangalore Today News Network

Vatican City, Nov 06, 2014:  Two top Sri Lankan leaders — President Mahinda Rajapaksa who originally invited Pope Francis to visit and the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith — confirmed Sunday that the pope’s trip to the island will go ahead, though the date of snap elections remains a mystery.

The president confirmed the visit upon the arrival of the Vatican delegation, which traveled to Sri Lanka to discuss the final details of the trip. Cardinal Ranjith informed priests during their assembly, in an attempt to clear up the uncertainty of the past few days regarding the papal visit, which is scheduled to take place from January 13-15, 2015.

There had been suggestions that the visit might be canceled. Final confirmation came when the Vatican group in charge of planning the papal visit arrived on the island Marco Polo described as “the most beautiful island in the world”. Cardinal Ranjith and Sri Lanka’s bishops were caught between a rock and a hard place, caught between the requirements of the Holy See and the strategic plans of the Sri Lankan government.

What caused the ruckus surrounding Francis’ pilgrimage was the presidential election date. In what seems like a shrewd tactical move, the government announced elections would be held “in the month of January”. Mounting speculations in the media did all the rest, shrouding the visit in mystery. But despite today’s official announcement, one thing still remains an enigma: the official date on which the elections will take place — the government has not yet announced when this will be.

“Rajapksa is playing with the election date in order to get as much support as he can from Christians and radical Buddhists,” Vatican Insider sources in the Sri Lankan Catholic community say. This could turn out to be a dangerous game for a president who is usually adept at handling social and political situations.

Source: Vatican Insider