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When the Pope visited Sri Lanka

Anton Jeyanathan, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, who was Chairman of the Security Division of the police team responsible for safeguarding Pope John Paul II during his visit to Sri Lanka in 1995 reminisces about an incredible 24-hours spent with an incredible man who was both human and saint.

by Ananth Palakidnar


Extreme right, Rtd. DIG Anton Jeyanathan, Head of the Pope’s Security Division accompanied by Late SSP Upali Sahabandu and late Minister C. V. Goonaratne, accompanying Pope John Paul II. pic courtesy Rtd. DIG Anton Jeyanathan

Pope John Paul II was regarded as the widely travelled pontiff and his visit to Sri Lanka on January 20, 1995 was ranked as the 64th in the whole series of his foreign tours.

The Pontiff was in the island for the Beatification of Rev. Joseph Vaz. It was a visit with a very tight schedule where he was rendered a rousing reception as the Head of State of the Vatican, at the Presidential Secretariat with 21 gun salutes.

"The Pontiff who had touched the hearts of the Sri Lankans remained in the island for nearly twenty-four hours, with his departure scheduled for January 21. But as far as the security of the Pontiff was concerned, the 24 hours of his stay in the island was nothing but a huge challenge to the Police Department of Sri Lanka, which formed a `ring' around the Pope as soon as he landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport,"says retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Anton Jeyanathan who was the Chairman of the Security Division of the police team which was responsible for the security of the Holy Father in Sri Lanka.


Pope travels in his bullet proof Land Rover mobile, brought down to Colombo for his Sri Lankan visit. pic courtesy ANCL Photo Library.

The first Papal visit to Sri Lanka took place in 1970 when Pope Paul VI made a brief stopover at the BIA and was taken around the tarmac where thousands of people waited to worship him.

Unlike the Papal visit of 1970, the one day visit of Pope John Paul II was arranged in an elaborate manner, with a State reception at the Presidential Secretariat, grand masses at the Galle Face Green, St. Lucias Church, Kotahena and a meeting with the leaders of various religious faiths at the BMICH.

It was six months prior to the Pope's visit that the plans, particularly the security arrangements, were worked out with several rounds of meetings with the Pope's security officials from the Vatican. The security men from Vatican came down to Colombo more than five times to determine that the tour would take place without any obstacle.

"Being a Catholic, when the task of heading the security arrangements of the Pope's visit was bestowed on me, I considered it a great blessing. With the help of late Senior Superintendent of Police, Upali Sahabandu of the Special Task Force and under the overall supervision of the then Inspector General of Police, Frank Silva, every aspect of the security arrangement was carefully worked out with no room for any untoward incident," reminences Jeyanathan.

People's Alliance Minister, the late C. V. Gooneratne, who was killed in a bomb blast a few years later was made the Minister-in-Attendance and the Police Department worked in close association with other armed forces to strengthen the security in and around Colombo.

Since the attempt on Pope John Paul's life in the early eighties, a special vehicle with bullet proof glasses had been constructed to carry the Pope when he met the public, especially during his overseas tours.

The bullet-proof vehicle, a landrower known as the 'Pope-mobile' was brought to Colombo by ship, ten days prior to the arrival of the Pope and it was kept at the STF Headquarters in Bambalapitiya. According to Jeyanathan, his first task was to look into the safety of the bullet proof Pope-mobile and choose a chauffeur from the police transport unit to drive it. "An efficient and an experienced chauffeur was chosen along with an Assistant Superintendent of Police, to handle any mechanical problems in case of a breakdown," recalls Jeyanathan.

All multi-storeyed buildings along the Colombo-Katunayake highway were thoroughly searched and the owners of those buildings were advised to co-operate with the police to prevent any suspicious characters from occupying the buildings.

Several dry runs were made along with the Pope-mobile from BIA to Colombo at night after the traffic eased. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was determined to overcome any form of interruption and instructed the police and the armed forces to be very tough on trouble makers.

On D-day, January 20, a team of twenty police officers, most of them from the Special Task Force headed by Jeyanathan and the late Upali Sahabandu gently moved along with the bullet proof Pope-mobile to the gangway of the Quantas, aircraft which brought Pope John Paul II from Australia to Sri Lanka. Pope John Paul had the habit of kissing the ground soon after he stepped down from the gangway.

At BIA, he could not kneel down as he was feeble and carrying a walking stick. "The earth was offered to him on a tray and he kissed it. Soon after the reception at the BIA, the Pope along with the then Archbishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Nicholas Marcus Fernando, stepped into the bullet proof vehicle holding my arm.

The touch of the Holy Father made me feel closer to God. In the early nineties I was on a pilgrimage to the Vatican with my family and there I could not even get a glimpse of the Pope. So being in-charge of his security in my own country gave me the rare opportunity of closely accompanying the Pope, who is considered an Apostle of God by Roman Catholics all over the world," exclaims Jeyanathan.

The Military police outriders clad in red escorted the bullet proof mobile from BIA and Jeyanathan was in the front seat, ensuring the safety of the Holy See.

It was an overwhelming reception throughout the Katunayake-Colombo highway. When the Pope's vehicle was nearing St. Anthony's Church Kochchikade, the Pope tapped the rear glass of the mobile, indicating that Jeyanathan should stop the vehicle.

It was opposite the church building and the stop was not scheduled on the Pope's tight itinerary. "Both the Pope's own security and my men were on alert to find out the reason for the unplanned stop," recalls Jeyanathan, adding that the Pope had descended from the vehicle and walked slowly into the church, where a sacristan had nearly collapsed at the sight of the Holy See just standing in front of him.

The Pope, it turned out, had had to make a nature call. But as the Parish Priest of the church was at St. Lucias church for the mass to be attended by the Pope, his room was locked and the sacristan helped the Holy Father use just a casual bath room. "Some old people who were inside the church unable to stand along with the massive crowd on the road got the rare opportunity of getting the blessings of the Pope," recalls Jeyanathan who was escorting the Pope back to the mobile.

According to Jeyanathan the Pope was a man of few words and he was a Saint in every way. The State reception was accorded by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the Presidential Secretariat on the day of his arrival. The next day a massive event, the beatification of Joseph Vaz was held at the Galle Face Green.

The stage for the ceremony was beautifully designed by the late Venerable Mapalagama Vipulasara Thera with the traditional Kandyan decorations. The Pope spent his night at the Vatican envoy's official residence at Baudhaloka Mawatha, Colombo and again Jeyanathan and his team of security men were in the vicinity, keeping guard over the Holy Father, beloved to many.

On January 21, soon after grand mass at the Galle Face Green was concluded, the Pope was taken to the airport by a special squadron of Air Force helicopters from the Bampalapitiya police grounds. At the airport, the late Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was present to bid farewell to the Pope.

After a ceremonial guard of honour by the Sri Lanka Navy, the Pope walked towards the National carrier (then known as Air Lanka) that would take him on the next leg of his journey. Jeyanathan and his team of security men who were mainly Catholics accompanied the Holy Father in the final lap of their arduous but divine duty to the gangway of the aircraft.

"The aircraft moved slowly and took off into the skies. It was only after the aircraft became invisible in the white clouds did I breathe a sigh of relief. My team members were equipped with sophisticated weapons to tackle any sort of situation during the Papal visit.

However, being the head of the team it would come as a surprise to know that I did not carry a single weapon with me apart from the rosary, which I always carry. From the very minute the Pope touched down on our soil I realised that I was accompanying an apostle who was safe in the hands of God," says Jeyanathan with reverence.

Anton Jeyanathan who is an Old Patrician from Jaffna, joined the Police as a Sub Inspector and ended up as Deputy Inspector General of Police after a forty-year service in the department.


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