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Sri Lanka readies for Pope Francis visit

Xinhua, January 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka is preparing feverishly for the Pope's visit with over 20,000 policemen deployed as part of special security arrangements, an official said here on Monday.

Pope Francis is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on Tuesday for a two day visit. He will be the first foreign dignitary in Sri Lanka after presidential elections last Thursday ousted former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa invited the Pope for a visit last year before controversially calling for snap presidential elections on Nov. 20 seeking an unprecedented third term in power. He was also accused by members of the catholic community for using the Pope's visit to score brownie points during the election campaign.

However, he was unexpectedly beaten by his former Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena who crossed over to the opposition.

Sirisena took oaths on Friday but is yet to swear in a Cabinet. It is the new president that is expected to receive the pope on behalf of 1.2 million Catholics in Sri Lanka. "We will put in strict security measures for the visit to ensure everything proceeds smoothly,"Police spokesman Ajith Rohana told reporters.

Workers are also putting the finishing touches to a giant open air chapel along Colombo iconic shoreline Galle Face and hotels have been earmarked for hundreds of foreign journalists expected with the Pope.

The main mass will be held at the Galle Face Green in Colombo. Traffic movement will be restricted until the prayer service ends.

CCTV cameras will be in operation in Galle Face Green, Rohana added.

Meanwhile, a rehearsal of the welcoming ceremony was held at the international airport with the participation of Cardinal Malcom Ranjith and Secretary to the President P.B. Abeykoon.

This is the second visit of a pope to Sri Lanka. Pope Francis will also be the first pope to visit the once war-torn northern regions of the country in a gesture that is expected to improve reconciliation between the minority Tamils and majority Sinhalese.

He will also declare Sri Lanka's first saint. Endi