Premier on interfaith crusade in Italy

Wearing his signature shawl, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaka is seen arriving at the Bologna Airport in Italy on Friday to give the keynote speech at the G20 Interfaith Forum to be held in the city today. He was welcomed at the airport by Italian government and Sri Lanka embassy officials. The theme of his talk will be “Peace Among Cultures, Understanding Between Religions.” The visit had created controversy here over reports that the Premier may seek a meeting with Pope Francis amidst an allegation by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and Church authorities that the Government was hiding the big mystery behind the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019, an allegation the Government hotly denied.