In an act of powerful symbolism Pope Francis visited the revered Shrine of Our Lady at Madhu in northern Sri Lanka where he recalled ldquo the terrible violence and bloodshed rdquo that ldquo tore open the heart of Sri Lanka rdquo and prayed that through Our Lady rsquo s intercession Jesus w

More than half a million Sri Lankans applauded enthusiastically many were moved to tears when Pope Francis declared Joseph Vaz the 17th nbsp century missionary priest the first saint of this beautiful island in the Indian Ocean And then the bells pealed out with joy drowning the applause but n

Addressing the leaders and some 1 000 followers of Sri Lanka rsquo s four main religions ndash Buddhism Hinduism Islam and Christianity ndash at the end of his first day in the country Pope Francis urged them to ldquo put reconciliation among all Sri Lankans at the heart of every effort to r

Immediately on arrival in Sri Lanka on January 13 Pope Francis called for a process of reconciliation and healing ldquo and the pursuit of truth not for the sake of opening old wounds but rather as a necessary means of promoting justice healing and unity rdquo Known as a pope who does not duck

Pope Francis is returning to Asia for the second time stopping first in Sri Lanka a predominantly Buddhist country from January 13-15 and then taking a flight to the Philippines the most populous Catholic country in Asia where he will stay from January 15-19 This is his seventh foreign trip si

Hours before departing for Asia to visit Sri Lanka and the Philippines Francis made a heartfelt appeal for peace in the world as conflicts spread and tensions escalate in many countries nbsp He called for an end to conflicts in the Middle East especially in Syria and Iraq and for peaceful and n