The Foreign Ministry denied today that there were plans afoot by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to have an audience with the His Holiness Pope Francis during their visit to Italy.
It said that at no stage has the Prime Minister requested nor has he received an invitation to visit the Vatican for an audience with His Holiness, the Pope.
The Foreign Ministry clarified the matter after the Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith launched a virulent attack on the government on the purported visit.
The Archbishop said the government intended to mislead the Pontiff during the audience by trying to brief him on the progress of the investigations they have made so far on the Easter Sunday bomb attack on Catholic churches.
The Archbishop made these observations on the strength of media reports that said that both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister would visit the Holy See.
The Foreign Ministry statement said
The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister will shortly make a visit to Bologna, Italy, to participate in an international event which is to be graced by the Prime Minister of Italy and other dignitaries from Italy and other European countries.
The Foreign Minister, at his briefing conducted on Monday 6 September, clearly described the purpose of the scheduled visit. The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the opening session of the international symposium which will be held in one of Europe’s oldest seats of learning, the University of Bologna.
At no stage has the Prime Minister requested nor has he received an invitation to visit the Vatican for an audience with His Holiness, the Pope.
The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister will be leaving Italy after the events in Bologna.
