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Vatican praises Lanka's religious amity

Historic meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and President Mahinda Rajapaksa

VATICAN: The Vatican has expressed its satisfaction on the religious amity in Sri Lanka and especially the absence of any religious conflicts for more than 500 years.

These sentiments were conveyed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa by Cardinal Tarcisco Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, following the President's historic one on one meeting with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

This was the first meeting between the Pope and a Head of State of Sri Lanka. The private audience of 20 minutes took place at the Papal Library in the Vatican Palace, after President Rajapaksa was greeted by the Pope at the historic room of Saints Peter and Paul.

The President had a friendly and cordial exchange of views regarding the situation prevailing in Sri Lanka with Cardinal Bertone. In response to the interest in developments in Sri Lanka expressed by the Cardinal, President Rajapaksa explained that the problem in Sri Lanka was not an ethnic or religious conflict but a terrorist problem.

He said the Government was fully committed to a negotiated settlement to the matters regarding the rights of the minorities and that the Government did not believe in any military solution to the issue. The President said whatever military action being taken by the Government was meant to contain the threat posed by terrorism.

President Rajapaksa further explained that the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) was deliberating on proposals for a negotiated settlement and that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party will shortly present its own proposals to the APRC on power sharing.

In response to a request by Cardinal Bertone, that facilities be allowed for pilgrims to have easy access to the Madhu Church, President Rajapaksa said he was eager to provide such facilities, but was faced with Madhu Church being in an area temporarily under LTTE control.

President Rajapaksa explained that as Prime Minister he too had wanted to visit the Madhu Shrine, but the LTTE had objected to his coming there with his official security. Eventually, he had not gone to the Madhu Church in a situation where he was refused his security personnel.

The visit of President Rajapaksa to the Vatican was marked by the pageantry associated with ceremonies related to the visit of Heads of State to the Vatican. Members of the Vatican's Swiss Guards provided a guard of honour to the President at the courtyard of the Vatican.

The President who was met by Monsignor Michael Harvey, Prefect of the Papal Household, was later escorted into the Vatican Palace by the Swiss Guards, Cardinals and Chevaliers of the Holy See.

After the Papal Audience, President Rajapaksa gifted the Pope with an ornamental silver goblet (kendiya) engraved with traditional motifs.

The Pope gifted the President with a golden medal as a memento of the visit. Later the members of the visiting delegation from Sri Lanka were introduced to the Pope by the President.

President Rajapaksa, the First Lady and the delegation from Sri Lanka were later taken on a special tour of St. Peter's Basilica, led by Archbishop Dr. Malcolm Ranjith, Head of the Vatican's Congregation of the Liturgy, where the President and members of the delegation viewed Michelangelo's sculpture of the "Pieta", the sepulchre of St. Peter, the tomb of Pope John Paul II and other historic monuments.

The other members of the Sri Lankan delegation were Cabinet Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Felix Perera, Milroy Fernando, Rohitha Bogollagama, Deputy Ministers Neomal Perera and Sarath Kumara Gunaratne, Minister of State Dayasritha Tissera and Victor Perera, Member Wayamba Provincial Council.

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