Pope Frances begins Sri Lanka visit

Pope Francis has arrived in Sri Lanka at the start of a six-day Asian visit which is expected to draw huge crowds, the BBC reported.

The pontiff, who will later travel to the Philippines, plans to celebrate open-air masses during his trip.

It is the first papal visit to Sri Lanka since the end of a four-decade civil war in 2009.

The country's new president, elected last week, has promised an end to growing repression of religious minorities.

The Pope's trip, which comes five months after a tour of South Korea, is being seen as an attempt to win new followers in Asia and to shore up support for the region's millions of Catholics.

Before departing on Monday, he said the visit reflected his "pastoral concern" for the people of the region, according to the Reuters news agency.

Large crowds of people lined the streets of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on Tuesday to greet his motorcade.