Pope Francis has left for Sri Lanka

(ANSA) - Fiumicino, January 12 - 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.