Vatican City, July 10, 2022: Pope Francis on July 10 renewed his appeal for peace in Sri Lanka which has been rocked by instability for months over a worsening economic crisis.
“I unite myself to the sorrow of the Sri Lankan people, who continue to suffer the effects of political and economic instability,” the Pope said at the Angelus, the traditional mid-day prayer on Sunday.
Following weeks of popular demonstrations, groups of protesters in Sri Lanka on July 9 stormed the presidential palace and other government buildings, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The anti-government protesters in Sri Lanka who broke into embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence have claimed to have recovered millions of rupees inside his mansion, according to a media report.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unprecedented economic turmoil, the worst in seven decades, crippled by an acute shortage of foreign exchange that has left it struggling to pay for essential imports of fuel, and other essentials.
The country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, had announced in April that it is suspending nearly US$7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about US$25 billion due through 2026.
In his remarks July 10, Pope Francis, in concert with the country’s Bishop, renewed his appeal for peace, and “implored” Sri Lanka’s leaders “not to ignore the cry of the poor and the needs of the people.”
Sources: vaticannews.va and agencies