Sri Lankan bishops say they found pope friendly, knowledgeable

Published: 2005-05-03

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A group of bishops from Sri Lanka said they were impressed with the friendly welcome they received from Pope Benedict XVI and with his understanding of the problems the church faces there. "I was very impressed by him, his kindness, his simplicity and of his understanding of the issues" facing the church today, said Archbishop Oswald Thomas Gomis of Colombo. "Many people were expecting him to be a stiff person, but he was just the opposite; he was very friendly, communicative and very relaxed," he said. Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Marius Peiris of Colombo said he "was struck by the rather bad coverage" the pope received by much of "the Western media." Bishop Peiris said, "My impression is he is a man of the times. He was selected by the Holy Spirit, and he has a mission" to help the Western world rediscover its Christian values.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .