Colombo: Who would say no to money these days? Pope Francis would, if it is from the people of an impoverished nation.

That is what the pontiff did when he visited Sri Lanka in January. He declined to accept 8.7 million Sri Lankan rupees the country’s bishops collected from their people.

Now, the Island nation’s bishops’ conference has decided to distribute the money among its 12 dioceses to meet the needs of the poor, reports The Island newspaper.

Father Cyril Gamini Fernando, the Church’s spokesperson, said the money would be allocated, depending on the requirements. Asked whether the money would be distributed equally among the 12 dioceses, the priest said that no such decision had been made.

The bishop conducted the countrywide fund collection at the request of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo and head of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. The money was meant for the Pope’s Charity Fund.

Cardinal Ranjith handed over a check of 8,760,690.25 rupees to Pope Francis when he left Sri Lanka on Jan.15 following a three-day official visit. However, the Pontiff declined to accept it.

Sri Lanka with a per capita purchasing power parity of US$6,550 stands 111 among 184 nations in the world. Qatar with US$105,000 tops the last while the Democratic Republic of Congo with just $400 remains at the bottom.

Sri Lanka is the richest nation in South Asia. India, the largest country in the region is ranked 130 with 4,060 dollars.