Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa last Friday (10) left for Italy to attend a summit in Bologna with a heavy heart. “If only I was asked whether I was going to meet the Pope, I could have told the truth to Cardinal Ranjith,” Rajapaksa had told several staff members. However, it was later revealed that the Prime Minister was not scheduled to meet with the Pope and that his visit was organised to attend a summit. However, there had been many requests from governing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporters in Italy for the Prime Minister to make the trip. “The visit is a scheduled one and there was no plan to meet with the Pope,” the government source said.

Source: The Nation September 11, 2021 19:18 UTC