(11 Nov 09 - RV) Pope Benedict made an appeal on Wednesday for the many thousands
of people who are still displaced six months after the end of the conflict in Sri
Lanka between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels who were fighting for a separate
homeland.
The Holy Father said “We note with satisfaction the efforts of those
authorities which, in recent weeks, have been facilitating the safe return of displaced
persons from war.
I strongly encourage an acceleration of that commitment
and I urge all citizens to strive for a peace with full respect for human rights,
and for a just political solution to the challenges still facing the country.
I
hope, the Pope added that the international community will work for the humanitarian
and economic needs of Sri Lanka, and I offer my prayers to the Holy Virgin of Madhu,
that she will continue to watch over this beloved land”.