Pope calls for greater respect for human rights in Sri Lanka

Vatican City, Apr 20, 2007 / 10:34 am MT (CNA).- This morning at the Vatican Pope Benedict XVI and the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, met to discuss and reaffirm the need for a greater respect for human rights and a return to dialogue, “as the only way to put an end to the violence that is bloodying the island.”

"In the course of the talks - and in the light of the current situation in Sri Lanka - the need was reiterated to respect human rights and resume the path of dialogue and negotiation as the only way to put an end to the violence that is bloodying the island,” a press release from the Vatican Press Office said.

“The Catholic Church, which offers a significant contribution to the life of the country, will intensify her delicate task of forming consciences with the sole ambition of favoring the common good, reconciliation and peace," the communiqué concluded.

Following his meeting with the Pope, the Sri Lankan president subsequently went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.