The government's Media Information Department was in charge of accrediting journalists to cover the event where Pope Francis elevated Sri Lankan missionary Joseph Vaz to sainthood at the Galle Face Green in Colombo on Wednesday (January 14).

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had gone to the extent of making plans to have his Media team cover the Pope's Sri Lanka tour, most importantly the centrepiece event at the Galle Face Green, and present an album pf photos to the Pontiff as a token of appreciation and gratitude.

But the Cardinal was given a rude shock to learn that his media team was not accommodated.

Even the Editor of the publication of the Catholic Church was not allowed entry into the BMICH in Colombo where the Pope met the Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim clergy.

The Editor, who is also a clergyman was prevented from carrying out his functions and blocked out by the Presidential Security Unit as well as personnel from the government Information Department.

In addition scores of accredited Media personnel from various Catholic websites and publications are said to have been prevented from covering the Pope's visit for the past three days.

The Catholic Church's official photographer Sagara Lakmal, who was listed  to fly to Madu to cover the Pope's mass at the Church of Our Lady of Madu, also found out to his utter dismay that his seat on the helicopter was allocated to a foreign journalist.

Lakmal wanted to even go to the extend of paying from his own pocket for a seat on a private helicopter to get to Madu which is some 45 minutes of flying time away.

The Young Christians Media Association (YCMA) has already issued a hard-hitting and reverberating statement accusing both the government Information Department and the Committee of the Catholic Church responsible for handling Media arrangements of depriving the people of their right to information on a historic event which the whole country looked forward to treasure by way of photographs.

The YCMA is made up of 12 affiliated bodies and have called on the Catholic Church to investigate the conduct of both officials from the government Information Department as well as abusive officers from the Presidential Security Unit.

The statement further adds that a large number of Catholic photographers and even members of the clergy had been deprived of carrying out their functions at such a historic event which was a hundred percent pastoral and had nothing to do with bureaucracy.