(ANS – Lahore) – “We are terribly shocked. The massacre in Paris shook all Pakistanis. We condemn all forms of violence. – is what Mgr. Francis Shaw, Archbishop of Lahore says – Pakistan is a state which for years has fought against terrorism that has hit the streets, squares, schools, churches. Yesterday in the cathedral of Lahore, as in many other churches in Pakistan, we celebrated a Mass for the victims and today we express deep sympathy with the French and European citizens.”

“Yesterday I had a meeting with all the priests of the diocese and, as Pakistani Christians, we join in offering condolences to the families and pray for the victims. Many Muslim leaders in Pakistan have expressed their condemnation, remembering that terrorism savages the name of God and Islam”, says the Archbishop to Agenzia Fides. “We will continue to pray unceasingly to God for the gift of peace and the strength to overcome difficult times like this”, he adds.

“Terrorism – notes Mgr. Shaw – is a challenge that affects us all today. Nowhere is safe. It is necessary to find strategies in the international community, between Europe and the Middle East. The answer is to strengthen security measures but also work daily for culture and education, especially with young people”.

“The Church, in all the countries in the world, continues to propose the values of peace, tolerance, respect for human dignity, and to bring the Gospel as a message of love and reconciliation: this will be for us in Pakistan the center of the Jubilee of mercy” he concludes.

Published 17/11/2015