Pope Francis to Sri Lanka, Philippines

Less than a week after its longtime president was surprisingly voted out of office, Sri Lanka welcomed Pope Francis on Tuesday, with the island nation's Catholic minority hoping he can help heal the lingering wounds of the country's 25-year civil war.

On Wednesday, after celebrating Mass in Colombo, the capital, Pope Francis is scheduled to fly to the country's former war zone in the north, where Tamil Tiger rebels fought to create a separate homeland. He will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, a site that draws both Tamil and Sinhala Catholics and has long been viewed as a symbol of unity.

Pope Francis will canonize Sri Lanka's first saint, the Rev. Giuseppe Baz, a 17th-century missionary credited with reviving the Catholic faith in the country.

The Pope will arrive in Manila on January 15 and two days later fly to the central city of Tacloban, hardest hit by the November 8, 2013, typhoon that left more than 7300 people dead or missing. There he will celebrate Mass, host a luncheon and comfort survivors.

Pope Francis' final public event is a mass in Manila's Rizal Park on January 18.