Sri Lanka, April 22 -- Pope Francis had a very special soft corner for the poor and always spoke about the poor and the downtrodden, says the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who paid glowing tribute to "a person who really represents Jesus Christ".

Issuing a special message on Tuesday (22) on the death of Pope Francis who passed away yesterday at the age of 88, the head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church described Pope Francis as a spiritual leader who had transformed the global image of the Catholic Church by exemplifying the true values of Christian faith-justice, fairness, truthfulness and affection, especially for the poor.

"What transpired in his life was this great attachment to the poor. He was always a person who sp...