Sri Lanka Christians ask Pope Francis to come back soon
Colombo (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis has landed in the Philippines for the second leg of his Asian tour. However, the emotions generated by his visit to Sri Lanka are still lively and strong. During his brief stay, he gave the country its first saint, Joseph Vaz, and he prayed at the Marian shrine of Madhu, where he met many victims of the country's civil war.
"Having him come back to our country would be a dream," some people told AsiaNews. "This visit was too short. We would like to tell him again, 'Pope, Pope Aadarei' (Pope, we love you)."
According to some estimates, about half a million people came from various parts of the country for the canonisation, which took place in Colombo's Galle Face Green.
As many people came to Madhu, in the northern diocese of Mannar, where Francis led a Marian prayer and met many civil war survivors, mostly ethnic Tamils.
At both venues, and along the routes he took, the pope stopped to greet people, especially children and elderly women.
Some Christians told AsiaNews that the visit's only "flaw" was the organisation and the services provided by the government.
"On several occasions, the authorities appeared hard pressed to control the crowd," they said. "It was like being in a human river. For many, it was hard to see the pope."
On the day of the canonisation, the authorities boosted the bus service with an additional 600 free vehicles to take people from Chilaw to Colombo and from Colombo to Aluthgama.
The railway company also added more trains, but "it was not enough."
Similarly, "There were not enough giant screens. Most people could only hear his voice."
On the margins of the Sri Lanka visit, two special events took place. First, the government pardoned and released 692 prisoners to mark Francis' visit. Most of them were over the age of 75 and had been jailed for minor offences. Secondly, the pope visited a Buddhist temple.
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28/06/2021 15:51
