VATICAN (ACI). Weeks after Pope Francis’ visit to Sir Lanka on January 13th–15th, this Asian country’s press echoed the Holy Father’s gesture of charity that he quietly carried out toward the neediest in that country, where 40% of the population lives in conditions of poverty.
According to a report on the Sri Lankan government’s website, Pope Francis returned a 70,000 dollar check to the Sri Lankan Catholic Church that the Archbihop of Colombo (Sri Lanka), Cardinal Macolm Ranjith had presented to him on January 14th at the end of the Mass in Colombo, where 500,000 people participated.
The money was destined for the Pope’s works of charity, but on the following day, before flying to Manila, Philippines, the Roman Pontiff returned the donation to Cardinal Ranjith, and encouraging him to distribute it among the very poor of his own country.
Following Pope Francis’ call, the Sir Lankan Cardinal distributed the donation among the bishops to be used in different dioceses to help the poorest people.
In the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium [The Joy of the Gospel], the Pope recalled that “the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel, and the fact that is freely preached to them is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor.” (The Joy of the Gospel, p.35, #48)
“Our faith in Christ, who became poor and was always close to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members.” (The Joy of the Gospel, pp. 128, 129, # 186), the Pontiff encourages.
Source: ACIprensa
Original: Spanish –Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA
