Mary forgave those who killed Jesus, Pope reminds people of war-torn Sri Lanka

January 14, 2015

Continuing to press for reconciliation in Sri Lanka, Pope Francis traveled into the territory of minority Tamils on January 14, to pray at a beloved Marian shrine and plead for forgiveness.

During a Wednesday-afternoon visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, the Pope reminded believers that the Virgin Mary forgave the people who killed her Son. He said that "now she wants to guide Sri Lankans to greater reconciliation."

The Pope acknowledged the difficulty of extending forgiveness, in the wake of the country’s brutal civil war. He suggested, however, that the process could begin when people acknowledge their own sins.

He said: “Yet only when we come to understand, in the light of the Cross, the evil we are capable of, and have even been a part of, can we experience true remorse and true repentance. Only then can we receive the grace to approach one another in true contrition, offering and seeking true forgiveness.”

 

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Further information:

• At the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu: Mary accompanies Tamils and Sinhalese in rebuilding their lost unity (VIS)
• Pope Francis: Marian Prayer at the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu (Vatican Radio)
• 'Mary forgave her son's killers': The Pope on healing in Sri Lanka (CNA)