The government in Colombo has run for cover by buying 35,000 tonnes from India, but in many areas of the country prices have skyrocketed and bad quality salt is being sold. The producers justify themselves with the floods, but workers and nutritionists recall that not even the tsunami 20 years ago led to such a crisis.

Sri Lanka joins many other Asian countries grappling with demographic winter. Some 15 years ago, more than 350,000 children were born a year. Emigration is  a contributing factor. According to estimates, by 2041 one in four Sri Lankans will be over 60 years.

In a video message, the Archbishop of Colombo explained to Sri Lankan Catholics the significance of the Holy Year as an opportunity for spiritual awakening. ‘Doctrine is not something written in a book: it must be reflected in our choices’. The invitation to families: ‘Pray and read the Bible together during the Jubilee’.

Utilities have been suspended for non-payment of bills, yet another consequence of the economic crisis that has gripped Sri Lanka for three years. To cope with the situation, demand for solar panels has also increased, but the authorities have been forced to issue a warning to prevent fraud by unauthorised companies.

The bishops' appeal: “A call to renew respect for the dignity of life”. In the parish of St Francis Xavier in Wewala the crib built together with the little ones who live in difficult situations: ‘Here they have the chance to know the love of Jesus’.

Rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy, the refugees were crammed onto a fishing boat after more than two weeks at sea, probably blown off course by cyclonic weather. The group also includes 27 women and 49 children, who left camps on the border with Bangladesh where thousands of families have been living since 2017 due to persecution by Myanmar’s military.