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Colombo and Madhu gear up for Papal visit
The Catholic Church of Sri Lanka has started preparations both in Colombo and in Madhu, two places His Holiness Pope Francis would visit on his apostolic journey to Sri Lanka and the Phillipines next year.
A group of Catholic Fathers blessed Galle Face Green last Friday just before commencing work on the stage that will accommodate the Holy Mass, which will be conducted by the Holy Father on January 14, 2015, a senior priest of the Catholic Church said.
Preparations underway at Galle Face. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
“The stage will be constructed by personnel of the Sri Lanka Navy. We have planned out the decorations for the stage and the stage designs were done in accordance with the sacred geometry of the Church. The arches and pillars to be made on stage will also be done in accordance with these designs,” a senior priest in charge of the stage preparations said.
“The Cultural Ministry has also agreed to help with several of the designs that will go on to this stage,” he added.
The stage designs will be given for approval to the Master of Ceremonies, who will arrive with a Vatican delegation on December 3.
“We are trying to do up this stage with cost at a minimum; we did not want a stage that could be done by anyone in any other country and we wanted it to be unique. We also had to strike a fine balance with that and making the stage as simple as possible and it had to be done by using the resources that we already have. We did not want to waste any money,” he said.
The stage is due to be completed by January 5.
“Our main aim is to finish the stage before the upcoming Presidential election,” he added.
“We are also in the process of designing two stamps which will be issued to mark the Papal visit,” he said.
“The Madhu Church in Mannar is also undergoing several renovations. A blessed sacrament church is also being constructed in the vicinity for adoration purposes and for the people to make their confessions,” Mannar Bishop Mgr. Rayappu Joseph told the Sunday Times.
“A helipad will also be constructed close to the Madhu Church. Pope Francis will make his way to the church in an open vehicle while giving his blessings to the crowd,” the Bishop added.
“We are expecting a crowd of 200,000 to 300,000 people but this number could increase,” he said.
Social Services Minister Felix Perera told the Sunday Times “We expect a large number of tourists to come into the country to witness the Pope’s visit.”
“We have several religious departments that will be getting involved in doing up several designs for the Papal visit,” Culture and the Arts Minister T.B Ekanayake said.