Catholic Church of Sri Lanka has informed the government that it would not be advisable to have an ongoing election campaign during the visit of Pope Francis.

 

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith announced this during the special event to officially announce the visit by Pope Francis in January next year. His Holiness Pope Francis will visit Sri Lanka on January 13-15, 2015.

 

Upon his arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport on January 13, Pope Francis will be driven to Colombo in an open motorcade on the Negombo Road, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said at a special event to announce the visit at the Archbishop’s House, Colombo.

 

The Pope will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the  afternoon.

 

On January 14, Pope Francis will hold a public mass at Galle Face at 8.30am and also at the Madhu Church at 2.00pm 

 

The Catholic Church of Sri Lanka also unveiled the official logo for the visit of Pope Francis. The logo embodies the importance of the visit by the Pope. It symbolizes the Catholic Church and will have an image of the Apostle of Sri Lanka Blessed Joseph Vaz. It will also show the multi-cultural nature of the country’s society and the warm welcome to the Pope from the people of Sri Lanka.

 

The official them of the visit is “Abide in Love.”