It will be the Pope's seventh international trip and it will be intense. He will visit two countries in seven days. After a 15 hour flight, the Pope will arrive in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, January 13th.
The Vatican's spokesperson said the Pope wants to promote reconciliation, in this Asian country, that for more than 25 years, experienced war.
FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI
Vatican spokesman
'The Pope wants to take into account a major characteristic of present day Sri Lanka, which involves reconciliation. Especially after its terrible civil war.â?
The Pope will deliver his speeches in English. In Sri Lanka there will be three main events.
The first one will take place on Tuesday, January 13th. That's when an interfaith meeting with Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims will take place. The second is the canonization of the country's first saint, Fr. Joseph Vaz, which will take place on the 14th. The third major event is a visit to the sanctuary of Madhu, where the Pope will pray for peace and reconciliation.
On the 15th, the Pope will leave Sri Lanka and head to the Philippines, where the deadly Typhoon that struck the country, will be a main priority.
FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI
Vatican spokesman
'The Pope's trip to the Philippines,is in part due to the constant call of Filipino Bishops. They have called for a Papal visit, so he may comfort victims who survived the typhoon or who lost loved ones.â?
That meeting with victims will take place on Saturday, January 17th in Tacloban, which is an area that has hit hard by the natural disaster.
Then there's the Mass the Pope will celebrate in Manila, in the same spot where more than 4 million people gathered back in 1995 to welcome John Paul II during World Youth Day.
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