The general public and others will be given the opportunity to pay their last respects to the late Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero until 12 noon on Thursday.

Most Ven. Ittepane Dhammalankara Thera, the Mahanayake of Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha said that this decision was taken in order to make preparations for the funeral procession.

The Maha Sangha, religious leaders, politicians and many others, in large numbers, continued to arrive at the Sri Naga Viharaya on Wednesday as well, to pay their last respects to the mortal remains of the Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero.

The funeral will take place Thursday which has been declared as a National Day of Mourning.

The Ministry of State Administration has instructed all the state institutions to hoist the national flag at half-mast tomorrow.

Among those who were present to pay their last respects to the late Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero, was the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Atul Keshap.

The Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Sri Lanka in a message of condolence says that the late Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero had rendered a great service to the nation by his fearless leadership and the views expressed, based on the teachings of Buddhism.

The Catholic Bishop’s Conference in Sri Lanka noted that the Most Venerable Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero was indeed a blessing to the country and added that they appreciate deeply the contribution of the Venerable Thero towards fostering inter-religious harmony in the country.

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