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Vatican confirms Pope visit to Sri Lanka

The Vatican confirmed on Tuesday that Pope Francis would be visiting Sri Lanka in January along side a visit to the Philippines.

He will be in Sri Lanka from January 12th till the 15th, before travelling to the Phillipines where he will be until the 19th, UCA News reported. An itinerary for his trip is yet to published.

Earlier this month, Tamil civil society groups urged the Pope to visit the North-East and to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government to stop colonising Tamil land, account for the war-dead and disappeared, and ensure a political solution for the Tamil people.

"While we welcome your visit, which may provide to be a potential blessing for the war affected Tamil people, it is is likely that the Government will make use of your visit to boost its standing amongst the international community of states. To prevent such appropriation of Your Holiness’s visit we would like to suggest that as part of your visit to the island, that you pay a visit to the war-torn places in the North and East and to meet the survivors of the brutal war waged against the Tamils," the Tamil Civil Society Forum (TCSF) wrote in a letter to the Pope, on July 13.

See full letter here.

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