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Don’t give in to violence, Pope urges as Sri Lanka protests turn ugly

A young Sri Lankan holds paraphernalia bearing the portrait of Pope Francis as she waits for his arrival in Colombo on January 13, 2015.

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Kathleen N. Hattrup - published on 05/11/22
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Listen to the aspirations of the people, the Pope appeals.

Pope Francis urged the people of Sri Lanka to seek peace as the protests over government there have turned ugly this week.

On May 9, supporters of Prime Minster Mahinda Rajapaksa attacked the protesters that have for more than a month been seeking his resignation. In the midst of the conflict, Rajapaksa went on to resign, but the protests continued to get uglier.

Here is what Pope Francis appealed at the end of the general audience of May 11:

Roman Catholics and other Christians make up less than 10% of Sri Lanka's population, which is majority Buddhist, with somewhat larger Muslim and Hindu minorities.

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