ASIA/PAKISTAN - Christians and Muslims pray for peace during Lent and Ramadan

Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – “Our meeting as Christian and Muslim leaders, as we observe this special time of Lent and Ramadan, is intended as a sign of peace and unity, especially amidst the war between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Fr. Asif Sardar, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Lahore, told Fides after participating in an interreligious gathering with an iftar, the meal to break the fast, in the presence of members of the Christian and Muslim communities. The gathering was held at the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore’s historic royal mosque. “We want to reaffirm our spiritual communion and our shared commitment to peace in this difficult time marked by the war that directly affects us,” he added. “Fasting, prayer, and charity bring us closer to God and our neighbor: it means sharing bread with the hungry, doing justice, and promoting peace and reconciliation,” he emphasized.
During the meeting, Fr. James Channan OP, a Dominican and head of the Peace Center in Lahore, shared with Abdul Khabir Azad, the imam of the mosque, a commitment to “deepen the roots of relations between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan,” to “live the shared values of fasting, reflection, and sacrifice present in both Ramadan and Lent,” and to “pray for peace, raising our prayers together to God for the stability of Pakistan and the end of global conflicts.”
“This meeting is a concrete example of mutual respect. We have sent a clear message: faith can be a bridge of unity and not a wall of division,” Fr. Channan told Fides.
Moments of prayer and interreligious encounters accompany the life of the Catholic community in Pakistan. Recently, in a candlelight procession and prayer vigil for peace, priests, religious, catechists, and parishioners of the Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in Lahore celebrated the Stations of the Cross and gathered to pray for peace on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The ceremony was led by Fr. Qaisar Feroz OFM Cap., Executive Secretary of the Social Communications Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan, and by Sister Azmat, Superior of the Carmelite Apostolic Sisters. “The appeal is clear: we firmly condemn the violence and war between Pakistan and Afghanistan. A ceasefire is possible through dialogue, and we hope it will be announced soon. The extremist violence of the Taliban is a destructive ideology; a joint commitment from believers is needed to stop and transform it. The international community has a fundamental role to play in helping Pakistan and Afghanistan resolve the conflict and restore peace. We ask that peace be the common goal and interest of all humanity,” Father Feroz told Fides. Meanwhile, the conflict on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan continues. The Pakistani government reported killing 415 Taliban fighters and bombing 46 positions inside Afghan territory, destroying 182 checkpoints and damaging Taliban military infrastructure, as well as eliminating weapons in 46 different locations within Afghanistan.
Regarding the situation, Pope Leo XIV, after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on March 1, stated that, faced with "troubling news of clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan," "I urgently appeal for a return to dialogue. Let us pray together that harmony may prevail in all conflicts throughout the world. Only peace, a gift of God, can heal the wounds between peoples." (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 2/3/2026)

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