Colombo , Sri Lanka ( CNN ) When you look at the gleaming buildings of Colombo and the fast-paced development that has taken place in recent years , it is perhaps easy to forget that until five years ago , Sri Lanka was embroiled in a bitter civil war . Tens of thousands were killed , and hundreds of thousands displaced , in a three-decade conflict between the state and separatist insurgents in the north , known as the Tamil Tigers . Peace is therefore a relatively new concept here , and something Sri Lankans do n't take for granted . 'Truth and reconciliation ' It 's also the primary message from Pope Francis as he arrived in the island nation . On Tuesday , his first day of a three-day tour of the country , he told an audience that Sri Lanka can not fully heal without `` fostering reconciliation . '' He said the `` pursuit of truth '' was important , `` not for the sake of opening old wounds , but rather as a necessary means of promoting justice , healing and unity . '' While steps towards reconciliation have been taken since the war ended in 2009 , mainly in terms of economic and infrastructure development , real reconciliation on an emotional and spiritual level has yet to happen . `` We had a military victory , five years ago but whether after that there is a victory of the hearts is a question we need to ask ourselves , '' the Archbishop of Sri Lanka , Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told CNN . War-stricken past . Sri Lanka has had a dark history , Cardinal Ranjith said , but now it is time for the country to put that behind and construct a new Sri Lanka , with a new identity where each minority group is respected and accepted . The island nation needs , he said , to `` send a message to the world that Sri Lanka is a nation of peacemakers . '' The timing could n't be more fortuitous . Pope Francis arrives just days after a new government was sworn in after a massive electoral upset . The new government under new President Maitripala Sirasena has promised to make reconciliation a priority . He won the snap elections largely because of the support from minority groups -- including Hindu Tamils -- so reaching a consensus is expected to be easier . Sirasena was a long time ally of outgoing president Mahinda Rajapaksa during the war but defected soon after snap elections were called in November . Multifaith greeting . In a show of ethnic coexistence , the pope 's welcoming ceremony featured traditional dancers from both the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil groups . At an inter-religious meeting on Tuesday , perhaps the most important part of Pope Francis ' first day in Sri Lanka , the session began with Buddhist chants , Hindu and Muslim blessings and then a message from Pope Francis on religious and ethnic harmony . He will also be traveling to Madhu , a town in the north of Sri Lanka , the former heart of the war zone , where he will meet with a number of families both Tamil and Sinhalese who suffered the consequences of the conflict . Sri Lankans are proud of their pan-religious , multi-ethnic heritage . More than 70 % of the 21 million-strong population is Buddhist , 6-7 % Christian and the remainder Hindu and Muslim , but religious tensions in recent years have given some cause for concern . Outbreaks of religious violence . Churches have been burned down and Muslims have been attacked -- the most violent case of which occurred in 2014 , when at least three people were killed in a Buddhist-Muslim riot . Monk Galagad Atte Gnanasara 's hardline Buddhist group , the Bodu Bala Sena is often blamed for the attacks . Gnanasara told CNN they condemn violence but argued that when Christian evangelicals try to `` disrupt Sri Lanka 's culture and society by proselytizing and breaking Buddha statues a rage develops deep inside , '' his group will react . Unity urged . While violent incidents between people of different religious groups like these attract headlines , leaders of a most religious groups in Sri Lanka say they are isolated and politically motivated . `` There are extremists , they are not the majority , '' Cardinal Ranjith says . `` So we can not say there are religious persecutions in an organized fashion . '' Sri Lanka has a porous culture where people from various faiths have intermingled and taken aspects from other religions . `` I am a Catholic , but I am very sure Buddhism , which is followed by the majority in the country , has influenced my thinking , '' he said . It is this co-existence of faiths Cardinal Ranjith wants Pope Francis to witness for himself in Sri Lanka , and thinks it 's the best way forward for Christianity in Asia .
Pope Francis visits Sri Lanka for a three-day tour , preaches reconciliation for war-divided nation . Faith leaders aim to show him how intermingled religious groups can learn from each other . Incidents of religious violence downplayed , harmony is highlighted .