Pope Francis expressed this Sunday his solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka, who rose up against the economic crisis and caused civil unrest that dictated the dismissal of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister.
Sri Lankan President announces his resignation after the invasion of the official residence
“I join the pain of the people of Sri Lanka, who continue to suffer the effects of political and economic instability,” declared the leader of the Catholic Church after the Sunday Angelus prayer, adding: “Together with the bishops of the country, I renew my call to peace and I implore those responsible not to ignore the cry of the poor and the needs of the people”.
The popular uprising in Sri Lanka prompted the flight of the Asian country’s president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, before protesters stormed his palace in Colombo. Rajapaksa later announced that he would resign on Wednesday, while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe He has already submitted his resignation and has seen his private residence burned down.
The country is immersed in one of the worst economic crises since independence in 1948, as a result of the fall in foreign exchange reserves and a high external debt.
Francis also appealed to “God to show the way to end the madness of war” in Ukraine. The Pope renewed his closeness to the Ukrainian people “tormented daily by brutal attacks” and underlined the prayer “for all families, especially for the victims, the wounded, the sick, the elderly and children”.
Meanwhile, the secretary for relations with states, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, did not rule out that Pope Francis may travel to Ukraine in August, depending on how he feels upon his return from Canada, where Francis will be in the last week of July. . .
Pope Francis could visit Ukraine in August
In an interview on Italian public television RAI, the representative of the Holy See for foreign relations assured that the Pope “is very convinced that this visit could take place could have positive results“, without forgetting that the Pope has always shown “his willingness to go to Ukraine and Moscow to meet with the Russian authorities”.
Finally, the Supreme Pontiff expressed his wish that “strong solutions” be found for the current situation in Libya with the support of the international community, recalling “the people of Libya and in particular the young people and all those who suffer because of the serious social and economic problems of the country”.
Last Thursday, the two rival Libyan institutions, meeting in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations Organization (UN), could not reach an agreement to hold elections due to disagreements over the eligibility of the presidential candidates.
Source: Observadora
