Pope Francis’s scheduled visit to Sri Lanka has been thrown into question as the government has announced that there will be a presidential election in January.

Papal visit to Sri Lanka is scheduled to begin on January 13 next year. Although the government has announced that there will be a presidential election in January, the exact date of the election is still not clear.

However, if the presidential election concludes before January 13, it will not make any impact on Papal visit, sources from the Catholic Church said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Mass Media and Information Keheliya Rambukwella, addressing a public meeting yesterday, stated  that the next presidential election would be held in January next year. He also added that the government would reveal the date once it is finalized!

However, the government has not made any comment on the manner in which  the presdientialm election will impact on the papal visit. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during his recent visit to

Rome, met Pope Francis who is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka in less than three months.

Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith told journalists at a media briefing in September that the Pope would be visiting Sri Lanka on January 13 and 14 next year. He is scheduled to arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake at 9.00am on January 13, where he will be accorded a state welcome. He will then travel to Colombo along the Negombo-Colombo road in an open-top vehicle.

Pope Francis will hold a Holy Mass for the public at Galle Face Green and will also attend a prayer service at the historic Madhu Church in Mannar during his upcoming visit to Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, catholic news networks, on Tuesday, reported that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, has asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa whether a visit by Pope Francis, scheduled to begin next January 13, should be postponed in light of reports of a presidential election.