Goan devotees visiting Sri lanka for the canonisation of the Island nation's Goan origin saint, could get an audience with the popular pontiff, Pope Francis, if moves by the local church authorities go according to plan. Vice postulator for the cause of canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz Fr Eremito Rebello said that the Goa Archbishop will “get in touch” with the Sri lankan authorities. “The Pope’s itinerary is packed, but our (Goa) Archbishop will get in touch Cardinal Ranjith from Sri lanka and request him to allow our 1,000-odd Goans to meet the Pope. Ranjith is the head of the committee which is overseeing preparations for the Catholic Head’s visit in January next year,” Rebello said.
More than a thousand Goans are expected to visit Sri lanka during the Pope’s official visit there which coincides with the canonisation of the 17th century Goan priest whose sainthood has recently been approved by the Vatican.
Fr Rebello said also said that after sainthood is conferred on Vaz in lanka by the Pope, special prayer services would also be held in Goa, especially the parish church of Sancoale, in south Goa, where Vaz grew up in the 17thcentury.
The Goa Government is also in the process of requesting the Central Government to start a direct flight service between Goa and Sri lanka to facilitate the travel of thousands of pilgrims who will begin visiting the Island nation where Vaz worked most of his life.
Vaz's followers from Sri lanka are also expected to travel to Goa, to witness themselves the land, their soon-to-be-saint grew up in. Goa has a 26 per cent Catholic population and was one of the early South Asian regions to have embraced the religion after being colonised by the Portuguese in the early 16th century. Vaz was born in the south Goan beach village of Benaulim, located 40 kms from Panaji. Sri lanka too was held by the Portuguese before being lost to the Dutch and the new converts were being persecuted by their new rulers, prompting Vaz to go and work there.
“We are also holding special services in honour of Vaz in Sancoale, once the canonisation is complete,” Rebello said.
Once canonised, Vaz will be Sri lanka's first saint and third ethnic Indian saint.