Pope to Sri Lankan leaders: Do not ignore the cry of the poor and the needs of the people

Pope Francis today called on Sri Lanka’s leaders “not to ignore the cry of the poor and the needs of the people” and appealed for peace in the Asian country.

During their Sunday homily from St Peter’s Square in the Vatican the pope expressed solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka who, he said, “continue to suffer from political and economic instability”.

“Together with the bishops of the country I renew my appeal for peace,” the pontiff said.

Sri Lanka is suffering from the worst economic crisis in its history. It is faced with a huge shortage of foreign exchange, which does not allow it to import sufficient quantities of food, fuel, medicine and other essential products.

The island of 22 million inhabitants, near India, has been living for months in the rhythm of daily power outages, endless queues at petrol stations, food rationing, record inflation which has reached 70%.

Anger over the economic situation came to a head on Saturday with a crowd of people storming the presidential palace and forcing the country’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to announce his resignation.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has also said he will step down to allow an all-party caretaker government to take over the country’s governance.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church also reiterated his support for the Ukrainian people.

“May God show the way to end this senseless war,” he said.

In his message, Francis also mentioned Libya, calling for “constructive dialogue and national reconciliation” in the North African country and saying the international community can help in this effort.

Source: AMPE