Pope presses Sri Lankan unity call with Mass, Tamil visit
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Pope Francis is pressing his call for Sri Lankan unity and reconciliation with a Mass in Colombo to canonize the country's first saint and a visit to the war-ravaged north to visit a shrine revered by both Sinhalese and Tamil faithful.
Tens of thousands of people waving Vatican flags poured into Colombo's seafront Galle Face Green for Francis' Wednesday morning Mass, with some spending the night to ensure a good spot. Francis arrived well before Mass to greet the crowd, getting off his popemobile to kiss the sick and handicapped.
Francis is canonizing the Rev. Joseph Vaz, a 17th century Indian missionary who ministered to the faithful of both Sri Lanka's ethnic groups during a time of anti-Catholic persecution by Dutch colonists.
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Sri Lankan Hindu priest Kurakkal Somasundaram, right, presents a shawl to Pope Francis during an inter-religious meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
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Pope Francis, wearing a saffron-colored robe presented by Hindu Kurukkal SivaSri T. Mahadeva, prays during a meeting of representatives of the major faiths on the island at Bandaranaike Memorial International center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Buddhist faithful attend a meeting of representatives of the major faiths on the island at Bandaranaike Memorial International center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Francis, right, back to the camera, waves from his car on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. The pontiff arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
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Pope Francis walks past colorful Sri Lankan dancers upon arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis has arrived safely in Sri Lanka for the first leg of a weeklong trip to Asia, received at the airport by newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena and Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
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Wind blows Pope Francis' mantle as he delivers his speech at Colombo's International airport, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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An aide adjusts the white cassock of Pope Francis as he addresses the gathering from the tarmac of the airport upon arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
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Pope Francis smiles after retrieving his cap that had blown away with the wind, as Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena stands beside him on the tarmac of the airport upon arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
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Pope Francis, center, flanked at left by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, center left, is received by colorful Sri Lankan dancers upon arrival at Colombo's International airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Francis, third from left, back to the camera, waves from his car on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. The pontiff arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
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Pope Francis waves to people waiting on a road to welcome him on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
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Pope Francis, center, passes by a giant poster of him on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. The pontiff arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing truth for the injustices committed. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, pool)
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Children wait to greet Pope Francis at the airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Pope Francis arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday at the start of a weeklong Asian tour, saying the island nation can't fully heal from a quarter-century of ethnic civil war without pursuing the truth about the injustices that were committed. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
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A Sri Lankan Catholic holds a portrait of Pope Francis and awaits his arrival, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. Less than a week after its longtime president was surprisingly voted out of office, Sri Lanka welcomes Pope Francis on Tuesday, with the island nation's Catholic minority hoping he can help heal the lingering wounds of the country's 25-year civil war. Catholics make up slightly more than 6 percent of Sri Lanka's population of 21 million, according to the government. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
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