Pope Francis calls for peace in Sri Lanka

Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace in Sri Lanka, which has been rocked by instability for months over a worsening economic crisis.

“I join in the pain of the people of Sri Lanka who continue to suffer the effects of political and economic instability,” the pope said Sunday in his weekly Angelus prayer.

“Together with the bishops of the country, I renew my call for peace and I implore those in authority not to ignore the cry of the poor and the needs of the people,” he said.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned and fled the country on a navy ship Saturday after protesters stormed his residence.

The dramatic episode was the culmination of months of protests by people enraged by the South Asian island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis and the Rajapaksa clan’s incompetence and corruption.