Pope Francis will arrive in a special airplane at about 9am to Banaranaike International Airport.

He will be welcomed by Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and other officials. The Pope will then reach Colombo by a special motorcade, and will arrive at the Embassy of the Holy See in Colombo. The Pope will travel in an open vehicle and will take the Colombo-Negombo road. The motorcade will leave the BIA at 9.45am.

Later in the day he is expected to address the Bishops, meet with the President and speak at an inter-religious meeting at BMICH.

Pope Francis is the third Pope to arrive in Sri Lanka and the first in 20 years. Pope Paul VI arrived in the island in 1970 and Pope John Paul II arrived in 1995. Both the earlier arrivals of Popes happened within months after a government change.

Interestingly, Pope Francis arrives days after the presidential election which saw the election of a new president.