Minister attends Good Friday service

LAHORE:Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Ijaz Alam Augustine along with MPA Haroon Imran Gill attended the special prayer service of Good Friday at Roman Catholic Church on Lawrence Road.

The service was joined by the Christian community members through video link. In his address to the Christian community, the minister said Good Friday is a reminder of the compassion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

"Good Friday tells us a tale of hope as Jesus spoke of love, forgiveness, and truth, and not of violence, fanaticism, or revenge," the minister said. The provincial minister said the Punjab government with the consent of all Christian religious leaders had announced that congregations would not be held on the occasions of Good Friday and Easter in the wake of coronavirus threat.

He added the entire Christian community had decided that instead of holding gatherings, it would join services through video link or online streaming. Recordings of prayer ceremonies would be released on the internet so that the Christian community member can join the rituals while sitting safely at home.

He also praised the Christian community for showing national unity and solidarity, saying that Good Friday and Easter are very important for Christians, but in the context of corona pandemic, no risk of congregations could be taken.

Arch Bishop Sebastian Francis Shaw in his sermons emphasised the importance of religious tolerance, fraternity and brotherhood. He called on Christians to play a positive role in the country’s development and spread love and peace. He also led prayers for the end of the corona disaster. Meanwhile, all the churches in Punjab remained closed and prayers will not be held there so long as the emergency prevails due to corona. Bishop Irfan Jamil, Pastor Anwer Fazal, Rev Dr Majeed Abel, Bottison Daniel, Pastor Liaqat Qaiser and other Christian religious leaders were also present in the prayer ceremony.