Tamil National Alliance councillor Ananthy Sasitharan appealed to Pope Francis for assistance in locating a missing Catholic priest who was taken by the Sri Lankan army in 2009, alongside thousands of other cases of enforced disappearances.

Writing ahead of the Pope's visit on January 13, Sasitharan said,

"As a member of the Northern Provincial Council and as one of the affected victims, I urge Your Holiness to reach out for us in demanding a clear answer from the Sri Lankan Government and its military on what had happened to Rev Fr Francis Joseph, the hundreds of our family members and relatives who were taken into SLA custody on 18 May, 2009."

# The popular Northern Provincial Councillor went on to add,

"During your visit, the Sri Lankan political leaders, including the newly sworn-in President Maithiripala Sirisena, who was the deputy defence minister during the genocidal onslaught when Fr Francis Joseph was taken away by his military, will be fighting for the opportunity to kiss your hand and get your blessings. Just as his predecessor Mahinda Rajapksa, who invited you to the island amidst his election plan, the political leaders and their military commanders of the Colombo government are seeking to protect themselves and their system from its crime of genocide."

"Your Holiness, please do not be fooled by their false promises on protecting ‘minorities’. In fact, transforming Tamils into their ‘minorities’ was their first step in the genocide."

The letter to the Pope concluded by saying,

"I hope you will be able to listen to the victims and at least gain a direct sense of the real nature of the crime during your short stay in the Northern Province."

"Most Holy Father, I hope that your visit will be a step in bringing justice to hundreds and thousands of people, among them a large number of Tamil Catholics, who need the voice of Vatican at this critical juncture."

See the full text of the letter here.