Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "An effort to renew catechesis, as the Pope asks us in Porta fidei is necessay in Pakistan. This commitment is up to priests, religious and lay missionaries, and one can carry it forward with the new edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in Urdu, launched by the Church on the occasion of the Year of Faith. It is a work which also serves Muslims to understand the true face of our faith ": This is what His Ec. Mgr. Sebastian Shaw, Auxiliary Bishop of Lahore and head of the Commission for Catechesis of the Episcopal Conference of Pakistan explains to Fides.
The Bishop, who is participating in the work of the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization being held at the Vatican, said in an interview with Fides: "The faithful of Pakistan are happy for the Year of Faith and live it as a providential opportunity. For us it is an opportunity to increase our faith. There are small communities of one or two people or one Christian family in remote villages. Our priests and lay missionaries go to visit them, even if they are located in remote areas, just to keep this small flame of faith alive."
Among the new tools that will help the Catholic community, the Bishop quotes: "We have translated into Urdu a book devoted to the Creed, which will serve the faithful in the public profession of faith, even this is an invitation from the Pope." Another aid is titled "This is my faith," and explains all the symbols, signs and main meanings of the Christian faith: "We use it for the transmission of faith in the family – explains the Bishop - and it is very effective. They use it, and even Christian communities of other denominations have asked for it. "
The most important work however is the translation of the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" in Urdu. The first part of the volume has been accomplished and spread and, in a couple of years, the second part is expected to be completed. The Bishop calls it "a major work in order to explain and remind the faithful Pakistanis, but also to all Muslims, the content and fundamental doctrine of the Catholic faith." He adds: "It will be a great help to all the Christian communities. It is a tool that helps to grow and progress towards holiness. The mission of the Church in Pakistan today is to ensure that people live the gospel and walk towards holiness. It is necessary that everyone works for their holiness: it becomes light for society. ". "It is faith - he concludes - that helps every man to rediscover the true meaning of life, even in suffering and in difficulty." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 19/10/2012)
