A papal gift
by Manjula Fernando
The visit to Sri Lanka by Pope Francis I has been officially
confirmed by the Vatican.
The pontiff will be in Sri Lanka, from January 13 to 15, before
flying to the Philippines where he will spend three days from January 15
to 19.
Although Catholics are a minority in Sri Lanka, they are so
intertwined that every Sri Lankan has a Catholic friend or relative in
his circle. The papal visit to Sri Lanka is eagerly anticipated by the
Catholics in Sri Lanka and when the news first broke out in May after
the Pope Francis's visit to Tel Aviv, it was embraced with delight by
the faithful.
He first made his intention to visit Sri Lanka known in February this
year, when he met a Sri Lankan group of pilgrims led by Arch Bishop
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith in Rome.
Pope Francis will be the third pontiff to visit Sri Lanka. The first
visit by Pope Paul VI was made on December 4, 1970 and the second by
Pope John Paul II on January 20, 1995.
For more than just one reason, the papal visit to Sri Lanka will be
particularly significant for Bennet Peiris, an ex-government servant and
an ardent Catholic. He has a gift. A precious memorabilia that reached
him all the way from the Vatican to his modest house in Sri Lanka. The
little gift from the Pope has etched a deep feeling of gratitude and
binding within him.
To tell a long story short, Peiris in his one of his reflective
moments thought of sketching a small note to the Holy Father, a letter
explaining his inner feelings.
"During my school years, we've learnt that the Pope is referred to as
the prisoner of Vatican." I wrote to Pope Francis that he has chosen not
be a prisoner but go to those who need his blessings most. I was
determined to send this letter not just seeking his blessings but
appreciating his active role in the name of the needy, less fortunate,
the victims of war and the suffering.
"I have heard that the Pope receives hundreds of letters a day from
all over the world. I was half expecting my letter to go unnoticed. But
after two months I received an unforgettable surprise. A reply from the
papacy, the office of the Holy father, in an envelope. Many who write to
the holy father ask for numerous assistance but my thoughts were to
appreciate the defiant role that he has taken up as the new pontiff, to
speak up for the less fortunate and against those who wage wars on the
innocent. His mission extends to countries that his presence is needed
most, even to places where Catholics are just a minority."
The envelope from the Holy See contained a letter signed by the
77-year-old Pope Francis I, his photograph and a sovereign gold
commemorative medal issued on the first anniversary of the Pontiff's
appointment. The letter he received from the Pope looks slightly worn
out because he has been reading it over and over again. But its value
seems to have multiplied.
Peiris served the Health Ministry's Accounts Department for over 25
years and was an active social worker. After his retirement he was
re-recruited as a co-ordinator for the WHO project in the Health
Ministry.
He had joined the State Clerical Service after passing the Clerical
examination in 1958.The letter from the Pope was handed over to him via
the Embassy of the Holy See in Colombo. The acting Apostolic Nuncio,
Monsignor Renato Kucic invited him to the Embassy to hand him the gift
that he was chosen to receive.
For him the gift was a dream come true and nurtures a fresh dream.
Peiris is looking forward to the Papal visit to Sri Lanka to realise his
final wish - to meet Pope Francis in person in Colombo.
|