by Melani Manel Perera

The pope will visit the island nation between 13 and 15 January 2015. Presidential elections should take place in the same month, but the current government has not yet set a date. Some Catholics complain that the authorities are trying to attract Catholic voters.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - For a number of Catholics, "the Government of Sri Lanka should not take advantage of a holy and historic visit as that of Pope Francis". Speaking to AsiaNews, they said that the administration of President Rajapaksa wants to use the papal visit (13-15 January 2015) to win Catholic votes.

Next January, Sri Lankans will go to the polls to pick a new president, but the government has yet to set a date.

Historically, an apostolic visitation has never occurred during an election, some Catholics said, to avoid abuses. Card Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo and president of the Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka, reiterated this "tradition" when he confirmed Pope Francis' visit next year.

"We do not like to see our pope here during the elections, because without a doubt this corrupt government will be going after Catholic votes to be re-elected," some Catholic women told AsiaNews.

"Pope Francis will bring Sri Lankans his love, peace and blessings," a parish group said. "It is unfair for the administration to take advantage of this".

Sri Lanka's bishops have sought to reassure the community, promising that the election "would not cause problems" to the visit.

However, both the Bishops' Conference and Vatican delegates, who arrived in the island nation to organise the visit, said they would prefer to see the vote held "between 2 and 4 January, so that nothing interferes with the arrival of Pope Francis."

• sri
• lanka
• papal
• visit
• francis
• presidential
• elections