Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 09:38 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 13, Colombo: The special aircraft carrying Pope Francis landed at Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith welcomed the Pope with state honors.
The Pope was accorded a tri-forces honor guard and a 21-gun salute while a Children Choir performed religious hymns welcoming the Pontiff.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, Chief Justice Mohan Peiris and other state officials, tri-forces commanders and religious leaders were also present at the occasion.
After an elaborate welcoming ceremony at the airport the Pope will be escorted in a motorcade to Colombo along the Colombo-Negombo main road.
It has been reported that people have been lining up the streets to greet the Pope since before dawn this morning.
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