Recent Featured Videos and Articles | Eastern “Orthodoxy” Refuted | How To Avoid Sin | The Antichrist Identified! | What Fake Christians Get Wrong About Ephesians | Why So Many Can't Believe | “Magicians” Prove A Spiritual World Exists | Amazing Evidence For God | News Links |
Vatican II “Catholic” Church Exposed | Steps To Convert | Outside The Church There Is No Salvation | E-Exchanges | The Holy Rosary | Padre Pio | Traditional Catholic Issues And Groups | Help Save Souls: Donate |
Francis changes schedule to visit Sri Lankan Buddhist temple
theguardian.com Pope Francis has become the second pontiff to visit a Buddhist temple, changing his schedule at the last minute to pay his respects at an important place of worship in Sri Lanka’s capital and to witness a key ritual for Buddhists: the opening of a casket containing relics of two important disciples of the Buddha. Francis listened respectfully as Buddhist monks chanted and prayed while opening the stupa, or casket, in the Agrashravaka temple on Wednesday, the Vatican said. Usually, the relics are only put on display once a year, and Buddhists from around Sri Lanka line up for days to pay homage to them since it is such a rare privilege. The head monk at the temple, Banagala Upatissa, said that allowing the pope to see the relics was “the highest honour and respect we can offer to his holiness”. Upatissa had invited Francis to visit the temple when he greeted him at Colombo’s airport on Tuesday, the Vatican said. Upatissa, who heads the Mahabodhi Society Headquarters, a key Buddhist organisation, is active in interfaith dialogue and visited the Vatican during Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy. John Paul II visited a Buddhist temple during a 1984 visit to Thailand. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said Francis did not pray or meditate during the visit, though he did take off his shoes as all visitors to the temple must do. to read more: theguardian.com
Sign up for our free e-mail list to see future vaticancatholic.com videos and articles.
Recent Content
^