COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A number of prominent Roman Catholic priests and laypeople in Sri Lanka are appealing to Pope Francis to put off a scheduled visit, saying the government is using the occasion as propaganda to imply the pope’s support for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is seeking an unprecedented third term in office.

The pope is expected to arrive in Colombo, the capital, on Jan. 13, five days after an early presidential election declared by Mr. Rajapaksa. Francis is expected to canonize Joseph Vaz, a 17th-century priest and missionary, as the country’s first saint.

Hector Welgampola, a former editor of The Messenger, a Catholic newspaper, said in a blog post this week that the decision, announced Nov. 20, to hold the presidential election two years early, just before the papal visit, had “deeply hurt” the country’s Catholics.

Posters and banners displayed in predominantly Catholic regions suggest that the pope has blessed Mr. Rajapaksa’s re-election. “With His Holiness’ blessings — you will be our president,” one poster reads. Some show pictures of Mr. Rajapaksa and his wife meeting the pope at the Vatican in October.