Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - "Changing attitudes is a key factor for effective dialogue. Everyone is called to contribute to peace and unity": said Hafiz Nehmood Ashrafi, president of the Pakistan Ulema Council, speaking at the interreligious meeting organized in Lahore in recent days by the" Council for Interreligious Dialogue" organization founded and led by Franciscan Capuchin Fr. Francis Nadeem OFM Cap.
The meeting was attended by Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh leaders, and also by Fr. Pascal Paulus OP, President of Major Superiors of Pakistan, and Fr. James Chanan OP, representative of the "United Religious Initiative" organization.
As reported to Fides, Fr. Nadeem stressed that the purpose of the meeting was to pray for peace and the welfare of the nation. Sharing his thoughts, Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said that Pakistan "was born as a nation that guarantees the rights of minorities and provides them justice". Citing the well-known speech of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founding father of Pakistan, on August 11, Ashrafi said that freedom of religion is one of the fundamental principles of the nation.
The Islamic leader did not fail to mention "the abuse of the blasphemy law", mentioning the violence suffered in the past by the Christians in Gojra, Sangla Hill and Joseph colony in Lahore, for which the perpetrators go unpunished.
Christian leaders Fr. Pascal Paulus, Provincial of the Dominican Fathers in Pakistan urged Pakistanis of all faiths to rediscover unity, invoking the urgency of promoting justice on behalf of the government, while Fr. James Chanan OP stressed that Christians also played an important role in the independence of Pakistan, stating that the "flag of Pakistan is the sign of our unity".
All those present agreed in reiterating "the loyalty to the country", committing themselves to offering a contribution to the freedom and stability of the nation, for the fight against corruption and terrorism, in order to build a just and harmonious society. (PA-IB) (Agenzia Fides 24/08/2015)
