Pope Francis has departed
for Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, sources said
Monday.
The Alitalia Airbus 330 took off from Rome's Fiumicino
airport at 7:05 p.m.
Before leaving for his far eastern trip, the pope in a
written message to President Giorgio Napolitano expressed his
"sincere hope for the serenity, unity, and spiritual and social
wellbeing of the Italian people".
The Catholic pontiff traditionally writes Italy's president
every time he leaves for an apostolic voyage abroad.
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