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.