Why Pope Francis visits the Our Lady of Madhu Shrine in the middle of a jungle in Mannar District,Sri Lanka? With a history of over 400 years, this shrine acts as a center for pilgrimage and worship for Sri Lankan Catholics.The site is considered as the holiest Catholic shrine in the island and is a well known place of devotion for both Tamil and Sinhalese Catholics. The church has been a symbol of unity not just between Tamils and Sinhalese, but also between people of different religions, including Buddhists, Hindus and Protestants. Attendance for the August festival at times touched close to a million people before the outbreak of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Situated in the middle of a warzone, the shrine has housed thousands of refugees since 1990. In the Autumn of 1999 more than 10,000 refugees were camped for security reasons around the shrine area and was regarded as a demilitarized zone Let us pray for Sri Lanka as Pope Francis brings message of reconciliation between the Tamils and Sinhalese and to uncover the truth of the decade-long, on and off civil war that started in 1983. Jesus, have mercy. Our Lady of Madhu, pray for us. Amen Source: Wikipedia #PopeTYSM #PapalVisit2015 #SriLanka #PopeFrancis #OurLadyofMadhu
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 07:12:26 +0000