Lahore :

Lahore Archbishop, Sebastian Francis Shaw, in his talk with the pontifical foundation, Aid to the Church in Need, said that the Islamic leaders are now taking initiatives to speak for the persecuted Christians. The Archbishop described the interreligious dialogues with the Muslim scholars as fruitful. The Islam leaders stood with the Christians and ensured their support following the talks. He mentioned that the Jaranwala incident marked a turning point in relations between the Catholic Church and Islam. 

On August 16, a violent mob went rampage on Christians following allegations of blasphemy against two Christian brothers. The violent mob torched the houses and churches. As a result thousands of Christians fled the area fearing attack. He remarked that the rise of radical Islam is the biggest threat they face. The Archbishop criticized the government’s unwillingness to crackdown on the extremists who target Christians.  “Traditionally what they do is force reconciliation between Christians and the aggressors, so that we forgive them, and that might be what they will propose this time as well” stated the Lahore BIshop in his interview.

In his interview the Church leader expressed his hope that the voice of prominent Muslim leaders might encourage the government to protect Christians and other faith groups from the persecutors. The Archbishop recalled an incident in which one of the Muslim leaders who felt sorry for the Jaranwala incident kept his promise of supporting the children who lost their school books in the riot. “Two weeks ago, they donated books to 200 children. This is a result of our dialogue, and this is why we need to promote dialogue more,” said the Lahore Bishop.