Sri Lanka declares April 26 as a National Day of Mourning in honor of Pope Francis

Sri Lanka has declared April 26 as the National Day of Mourning in honor of Pope Francis.

The Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Ministry announced that all government offices hoist the national flag as a mark of respect to Pope Francis.

On April 24, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the Vatican Embassy in Colombo and expressed his condolences on the departure of Pope Francis.

Dissanayake met Archbishop Brian N. Udaigwe, Vatican Apostolic Ambassador. 

The president, who had a brief conversation with Udaigwe, also expressed his condolences from the Sri Lankan government and the people of the world at the demise of Francis.

On April 25, former President Ranil Wickramasinghe visited the Apostolic Embassy in Sri Lanka and expressed his condolences on Pope Francis's demise.

The former president also signed the book of condolences. After posting a notebook of condolence, Sri Lanka's Vatican Apostolic Archbishop Udeigwe and Wickramasinghe had a brief conversation.

Additionally, Buddhist monks, other government officials, and people of other faiths expressed their condolences at the passing of Pope Francis.

Omalpe Sobhitha Swamy, the temple head of Ambilipitiya Bodhiraja Maha Vihar, paid his last respects to the late Pope Francis according to the Buddhist order.

Cardinal Patabendige Don Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, is in Rome to attend the funeral service of Pope Francis to be held at St. Peter's Square, Vatican, on April 26.

Jesuit Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21, following a stroke at the age of 88. Francis had returned home less than a month after five weeks in the hospital, battling double pneumonia.