ASIA/PAKISTAN - Catholic school pupils help earthquake victims

Lahore (Fides Service) - Although they cannot take concrete aid to people in disaster sites Catholic school children in Pakistan are showing great solidarity with earthquake victims in Kashmir. In Lahore pupils at Franciscan Schools are organising school bazaars to collect funds for Kashmir. They have also collected 3,000 bottles of mineral water which Caritas distributed to people in affected areas. Christian school pupils are anxious to do all they can for their brothers and sisters in the mainly Muslim affected areas who need food, medicine and also schooling since most schools collapsed in the quake. Catholic school teachers have contributed to the solidarity efforts giving one day’s wage to the fund for earthquake victims .
Many of the volunteers involved in assisting people in areas affected by the October 8 quake are Catholics operating with Caritas and other Christian humanitarian agencies. This wave of inter-religious solidarity is a sign of respect for all religious traditions. There is no hint of proselytising. For example a local Catholic NGO MILAP works to help Muslims in the town of Kasur seriously damaged in the earthquake. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 24/11/2005 righe 26 parole 261)