The Virgin of Madhu, protectress against snakebites, became well-known
throughout the island and, with the arrival of St. Joseph Vaz in 1987,
Catholicism began to flourish and Madhu transformed into a missionary centre.
The construction of the current building began in 1872, and the papal legate
crowned the statue in 1924 on behalf of Pope Pius XI. The church was
consecrated in 1944. The Marian shrine is a place of prayer that is
well-respected and frequented by Catholic faithful and followers of other
religions; nevertheless, it was affected by fighting between Tamil rebels and
government forces. The bishops of Sri Lanka managed to ensure that the shrine
became a demilitarised zone, to guarantee the safety of pilgrims and the many
refugees who fled there in search of safety during the war. Indeed, since 1990
the 160 hectares of land around the shrine have provided a safe haven to
thousands of displaced persons, becoming a refugee camp recognised by both
parties in the conflict. In April 2008 the shrine passed once more to the
diocese of Mannar and reopened as a place of worship in December 2010.
 More than half a million people awaited the Pope, and prayed with him for the
consolidation of the peace reached in 2009 following a conflict that had
lasted over three decades. Both Tamil and Sinhalese families, who suffered
greatly as a result of the hostilities, were present.
 "We are in our Mother's house", Francis began. "Here she welcomes us into her
home. At this shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, every pilgrim can feel at home, for
here Mary brings us into the presence of her Son Jesus. Here Sri Lankans,
Tamil and Sinhalese alike, come as members of one family. To Mary they commend
their joys and sorrows, their hopes and needs. Here, in her home, they feel
safe. They know that God is very near; they feel his love; they know the
tender mercy of God.
 "There are families here today which suffered greatly in the long conflict
which tore open the heart of Sri Lanka. Many people, from north and south
alike, were killed in the terrible violence and bloodshed of those years. No
Sri Lankan can forget the tragic events associated with this very place, or
the sad day when the venerable statue of Mary, dating to the arrival of the
earliest Christians in Sri Lanka, was taken away from her shrine.
 "But Our Lady remained always with you. She is the mother of every home, of
every wounded family, of all who are seeking to return to a peaceful
existence. Today we thank her for protecting the people of Sri Lanka from so
many dangers, past and present. Mary never forgot her children on this
resplendent island. Just as she never left the side of her Son on the Cross,
so she never left the side of her suffering Sri Lankan children.
 "Today we want to thank Our Lady for that presence. In the wake of so much
hatred, violence and destruction, we want to thank her for continuing to bring
us Jesus, who alone has the power to heal open wounds and to restore peace to
broken hearts. But we also want to ask her to implore for us the grace of
God's mercy. We ask also for the grace to make reparation for our sins and for
all the evil which this land has known.
 "It is not easy to do this", acknowledged the Holy Father. "Yet only when we
come to understand, in the light of the Cross, the evil we are capable of, and
have even been a part of, can we experience true remorse and true repentance.
Only then can we receive the grace to approach one another in true contrition,
offering and seeking true forgiveness. In this difficult effort to forgive and
find peace, Mary is always here to encourage us, to guide us, to lead us. Just
as she forgave her Son's killers at the foot of his Cross, then held his
lifeless body in her hands, so now she wants to guide Sri Lankans to greater
reconciliation, so that the balm of God's pardon and mercy may bring true
healing to all".
 Finally, he added, "we want to ask Mother Mary to accompany with her prayers
the efforts of Sri Lankans from both Tamil and Sinhalese communities to
rebuild the unity which was lost. Just as her statue came back to her shrine
of Madhu after the war, so we pray that all her Sri Lankan sons and daughters
may now come home to God in a renewed spirit of reconciliation and fellowship".
 "Dear brothers and sisters", he concluded, "I am happy to be with you in
Mary's house. Let us pray for one another. Above all, let us ask that this
shrine may always be a house of prayer and a haven of peace. Through the
intercession of Our Lady of Madhu, may all people find here inspiration and
strength to build a future of reconciliation, justice and peace for all the
children of this beloved land. Amen".
 Following the Lord's Prayer and after blessing the assembly with the image of
Our Lady of Madhu, the Pope returned by Popemobile to the Madhu heliport, a
journey of one and a half kilometres, greeting the crowds of faithful along
the way. He then returned to Colombo.

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 Pope Francis' telegram to the President of the Italian Republic
 Vatican City, 14 January 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram
from Sri Lanka to the president of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano,
who today stepped down from the position he has held since May 2006. The
eleventh president of the Italian Republic and the only one to have been
re-elected twice, Napolitano visited the Vatican to greet Pope Francis on 8
June 2013, the first official state visit of his second mandate. The full text
of the telegram is published below:
 "Having learned of your resignation from the role of Head of State during my
apostolic trip in Sri Lanka and the Philippines, I am spiritually close to you
and wish to express to you my sentiments of sincere esteem and keen
appreciation for your generous and exemplary service to the Italian nation,
performed with authority, loyalty and tireless dedication to the common good.
Your enlightened and wise action has contributed to strengthening within the
population the ideals of solidarity, unity and harmony, especially in a
European and national context marked by considerable difficulties. I invoke
divine assistance for you, your wife and your loved ones, with the assurance
of your constant remembrance in my prayers".

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 14 January 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Msgr.
Joseph G. Hanefeldt as bishop of Grand Island (area 108,800, population
316,000, Catholics 55,800, priests 61, permanent deacons 7, religious 56),
U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Creighton, Nebraska, U.S.A. in 1958 and
was ordained a priest in 1984. He holds a bachelor's degree in theology from
the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and a diploma in sacramental
theology from the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum, Rome. He has served in a
number of pastoral roles, including parish vicar of the "St. Mary" parish in
West Point and the "St. Joan of Arc" parish in Omaha; director of the
archdiocesan office for pro-life activities; moderator of the archdiocesan
Council of Catholic Women; parish priest of the "St. Joseph" parish and the
"St. Elizabeth Ann Seton" parish in Omaha; and director of spiritual formation
at the North American Pontifical College. He is currently parish priest of the
"Christ the King" parish in Omaha and member of the presbyteral council and
Priests' Personnel Board. In 2010 he was named Chaplain of His Holiness. He
succeeds Bishop William J. Dendinger, whose resignation from the pastoral
ministry of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the
Holy Father.

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