Sri Lanka at the Vatican

Today, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency, Mister Maithripala Sirisena, who subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State, His Eminence, Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

The cordial discussions, which began with a recollection of the Holy Father’s visit to Sri Lanka last January, focused on certain aspects of the country’s recent history and the process of peace and reconciliation that is underway, with the hope that it may contribute to promote stable social harmony. Furthermore, the contribution of the Catholic Church in various sectors of society and the importance of inter-religious dialogue were shown to be important.

There was also an exchange of opinions on the theme of the environment and an evaluation of the results of the Conference on climate change, recently concluded in Paris.