“The Salute of a Nation, the Silence of the Soul: Sri Lanka Remembers Pope Francis”

On April 25, the air around the Vatican Embassy in Colombo held a sacred hush as Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) entered its gates, bearing the deep sympathies of a mourning nation.

His Excellency Most Reverend Archbishop Brian N. Udaigwe welcomed the Deputy Minister with quiet dignity. In their brief meeting, words were few—but each gesture spoke volumes.

Signing the condolence book, the Deputy Minister offered more than protocol. He offered a tribute: to a Pontiff whose legacy was written not in grandeur, but in gentleness; not in might, but in mercy.

And in that moment of stillness, Sri Lanka’s soul bowed low in memory of the man who carried the world with prayerful hands.