Pope Francis has begun his Asian tour, with Sri Lanka as the first on the list. The Pope arrived in the country on Tuesday, following an overnight flight from Rome, Italy.
Many Sri Lankans have camped out to see the Pope in person. More than a hundred thousand people are eager to watch the Pope as he canonize the 17th century Indian missionary, Joseph Vaz.
People have spent the night outdoors, not minding the discomfort.
"I came here so early to get a better view and hoping I can get a better blessing from him," Rosemary Barbara Carter said.
The Pope has called for justice and reconciliation during his visit in Sri Lanka. Also known as "The People's Pope," Pope Francis asked everyone to bridge the religion gap and reconcile with one another. He also urged Sri Lankans to find the truth.
Prior to his visit, the Pope asked for religions to come together and stop fighting with one another. Sri Lanka is home to a number of religions, where Theravada Buddhists are a majority (70.2 per cent). Other minority religions include Hindus (12.6 per cent), Muslims, (7.4 per cent), and Christians 7.4 per cent).
In 2013, Pope Francis had called on the youth, and asked them to "go against the tide." He also urged the youth to rebel against the new culture that has expected them to be irresponsible.
Pope Francis is loved all over the world for his love of people, no matter their roots, religion or race. He is also the only pope who is active on social media, and even takes selfies with the public. The people's pope has shown great compassion to children and those who are sick.
The Pope's next Asian stop is the Philippines, where the Church and the government went hand in hand in preparing for his arrival. Instead of attending huge banquets, Pope Francis' requested to visit the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (called 'Yolanda' locally) in 2014, who did not only lose their loved ones, but their homes and livelihood as well. The Pope will dine with them over the weekend, if the weather permits it.
Philippine weather forecasts show there is a tropical storm forming, which will land in Tacloban, where the Pope is to visit, over the weekend. Tacloban is the province that was hit hard by Haiyan.
Work and classes are suspended in the Philippine's National Captial Region (NCR) from Jan. 15 to Jan. 16, to make way for Pope Francis' visit. The Pope will leave the Philippines on Monday, Jan. 19.
