First Pilgrimage of a Pope to the Island

Pontiff includes Ceylon in apostolic tour

Ceylon’s Roman Catholic population – an estimated seven percent of the populace – has been an important demographic in the island’s politics especially at election time, comprising a substantial voter bloc, in addition to characterising a riot of colour and celebration at church festival times.

And throngs of this religious group certainly turned out en masse to greet – or at least catch a glimpse of – their Holy Father as a Catholic pontiff visited the island for the first time.

That was when Pope Paul VI played the part of a pilgrim to Ceylon on his apostolic tour of Asia and Oceania, which included ‘pilgrimages’ in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines and Western Samoa.

Addressing the assembled crowd, Pope Paul said: “We offer our greetings to the Governor General, His Excellency Mr. William Gopallawa, the representative of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; to the Prime Minister, the Honourable Mrs. Bandaranaike; to the members of the government; and at the same time, to the national and local authorities, who have honoured us by coming to welcome us.”

The Vicar of Christ had begun by sharing his joy at being able to call on the nation’s capital Colombo, and said he regarded Ceylon as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ while thanking those concerned for their “gracious invita­tion.”

On a note of interest, rarely has the person who extended the invitation to Roman popes been the dignitary to also welcome them.

It was Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake who invited Paul VI but Sirimavo Bandaranaike who welcomed him; Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who prevailed upon Pope John Paul II to visit us and yet, President Chandrika Kumaratunga who greeted that worthy; and finally, President Mahinda Rajapaksa who engineered Pope Francis I’s apostolic tour but Maithripala Sirisena as the head of state who shook his hand.

After celebrating mass on 4 December 1970, the chief prelate of the congregation of the faithful departed for the Vatican the next day, having nodded to Ceylon’s “determination to implement … a courageous social policy, designed to ensure better living conditions and prosperity for all.”

Pope Paul VI played the part of a pilgrim to Ceylon on his apostolic tour of Asia and Oceania, which included ‘pilgrimages’ in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran…