Christians, Muslims in Pakistan Hold Inter–Faith Prayer Meeting for Tsunami Victims

Karachi, Pakistan – The Christian and Muslim communities in Pakistan have welcomed 2005 by praying together for people affected by the December 26, 2004 earthquake and tsunamis in the Indian Ocean region.

The Pakistani Bishops' National Commission for Inter–Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism (NCIDE) sponsored the event held on January 1 at St. Mary's Church in Lahore.

Capuchin Father Francis Nadeem, executive secretary of the commission, said 2005 was beginning at a time of great sadness for Asian people who have had to confront this sudden tragedy. He asked religious leaders to continue to pray for the dead and those in great difficulty.

Pakistan was not directly affected by the earthquake and tsunamis that, according to some media reports, have killed more than 1,50,000 people from Malaysia to Africa. But the presence of many missionaries from hard–hit Sri Lanka brought the tragedy closer to the local Church. One of those missionaries heads Quetta prefecture, the newest Church jurisdiction in Pakistan.

At the inter–religious service, Pir Mohammad Ibrahim, chairman of the Punjab Peace Committee, offered special condolences to them. "(Muslims) assure the Sri Lankan Fathers and Sisters who are present here that we are with you in this sad moment of life. We assure you of our constant prayers that you may be at peace and accept it as the will of Almighty Allah," he said.

Pir Ibrahim, who presided at the prayer service, said the NCIDE works not only for Christians but also for people of all religions. The tsunamis did not identify anyone as Christian, Muslim or of any other religion before it swept them away, he said. "Pir" is a reverential title given some Muslim religious leaders and saints.

The death tolls from the disaster are still rising as of January 4, with Sri Lanka reporting more than 30,000 casualties and thousands still missing. The Sri Lankan government is estimating damages at more than US $ 1 billion. Only Indonesia, closest to the quake's epicenter, was hit harder. The death toll there has crossed 1,10,000. In India, the figure of casualty has risen beyond 14,000 while countless are still missing. Thailand too was badly affected with body count rising beyond 5,000 of which 2,000 are foreigners.

Father Zafras Iqbal, who heads the Dominican priests in Pakistan and is president of the National Conference of Major Religious Superiors, extended sincere sympathy to Sri Lankan nuns and priests from all other Religious.

Holy Family Sister Yvonne Fernando, a Sri Lankan missioner, thanked the NCIDE for sponsoring the event. She spoke in Urdu, Pakistan's national language, on behalf of the 25 Sri Lankan priests and sisters in the country.

Javed Iqbal Saqi, another speaker at the prayer service, said Pakistanis were saddened to learn of the tragedy and pray for all people in the affected countries, irrespective of religion. This event invites all to reflect on love for all humanity and to shun hatred and intolerance, he added.

NCIDE chairman Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan sent a message for the occasion, which he described as "a prayerful evening to show solidarity with Sri Lankan missionaries."

He thanked the "ulema" (Muslim religious scholars) who came to pray together for the deceased.

Maulana Zubair Zaheer, a Muslim cleric, offered his condolences. "From the Muslim community we want to assure the Sri Lanka missionaries that we are with them in this hour of deep sorrow. We pray for their consolation," he said.

At the end the service, the gathering of 170 men and women recited the peace prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Similar solidarity was expressed at numerous interfaith Christmas celebrations, many of them occurring after Christmas.

On Dec. 29, during the annual Christmas party of a local non–governmental organization, Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha of Lahore requested the 200 priests and nuns working in the archdiocese to stand for a minute of silence for the victims of the disaster. He also asked them and the diocese to collect funds by January 10 to be sent to Sri Lanka, since a number of Sri Lankan nuns and priests work in the archdiocese.