Pope Francis encourages peace in Sri Lanka

Pope Francis began his second trip to Asia on Tuesday, delivering a speech at Sri Lanka's international airport in Colombo.

Pope Francis encouraged the "pursuit of truth" in Sri Lanka, saying it could be reached by "cultivating those virtues which foster reconciliation, solidarity, and peace." At a later meeting of religious leaders, Pope Francis said that "what is needed now is healing and unity, not further division and conflict."

The papal visit comes at a noteworthy time for Sri Lanka — last week, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated in the country's elections. Rajapaksa ended Sri Lanka's civil war with the Tamil Tigers in 2009, and the country is still dealing with the civil war's aftermath. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has promised "an end to repression of religious minorities," BBC News reports.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.