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Sri Lanka: Prisoners Freed in Honor of Pope’s Visit Sri Lanka: Prisoners Freed in Honor of Pope’s Visit
(less than a minute earlier)
Sri Lanka released 572 prisoners and reduced terms for others on Wednesday in connection with Pope Francis’ visit and his proclamation of the country’s first saint. The prison commissioner general, Chandraratne Pallegama, said, “All this was done to mark the visit by His Holiness.” The country usually releases prisoners convicted of minor offenses on its independence day, Feb. 4. Earlier on Wednesday, the pope held an outdoor Mass before more than half a million people to make Joseph Vaz, a 17th-century missionary, the island nation’s first saint. Francis told the huge crowds that religions must unite to heal war wounds, and capped his visit with an unannounced visit to a Buddhist temple.Sri Lanka released 572 prisoners and reduced terms for others on Wednesday in connection with Pope Francis’ visit and his proclamation of the country’s first saint. The prison commissioner general, Chandraratne Pallegama, said, “All this was done to mark the visit by His Holiness.” The country usually releases prisoners convicted of minor offenses on its independence day, Feb. 4. Earlier on Wednesday, the pope held an outdoor Mass before more than half a million people to make Joseph Vaz, a 17th-century missionary, the island nation’s first saint. Francis told the huge crowds that religions must unite to heal war wounds, and capped his visit with an unannounced visit to a Buddhist temple.