ASIA/PAKISTAN - In Faisalabad, the Church nurtures ecumenism and interreligious dialogue

Friday, 15 April 2016 dialogue   islam   religious minorities   ecumenicalism  

Diocesi di Faisalabad

Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) - Ecumenism and interreligious dialogue are fundamental steps of life, essential in a country like Pakistan: this is what emerged from the recent interreligious meeting held in the diocese of Faisalabad, where the Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism, led by Fr. Nisar Barkat, organizes activities and meetings to promote a spirit of cooperation, friendship and collaboration among Christians of different denominations, and among believers of different faiths.
As reported to Fides by Fr. Barkat, a recent interreligious meeting organized in Sahiwal was attended by Christian religious leaders, Muslims and Sikhs, as well as representatives of civil society: they all shared and agreed on the need that a path of profitable interreligious relationships, aimed at dialogue and communion, to defuse the fundamentalist and extremist impulses and educate young people and adults.
In order to involve young people, an idea of the Commission was to organize a tournament of women's basketball as a "peace initiative". The tournament saw girls from different schools compete in order to promote peace and religious harmony. The tournament, held in the girl’s Sacred Heart Convent School, Faisalabad, was attended by six teams of Christian schools, public schools and Islamic schools. Among the guests of honor, His Exc. Mgr. Joseph Arshad, Bishop of Faisalabad, who congratulated and invited to continue to follow the "path of dialogue" which sometimes may seem difficult but is the only possible way to peaceful coexistence. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/04/2016)


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