Easter in Pakistan, a time of solidarity despite discrimination
Islamabad (AsiaNews) Christ's sufferings as support in the face of discrimination and persecution are what inspire Umar Aziz, 24, a convert to Christianity in a Muslim country where violence against the Christian community is commonplace.
Umar spoke to AsiaNews about his Easter experiences. "When I see my own people, my own family turn against me and my faith I find strength thinking that the same happened to Jesus," he said.
Umar lives in Lahore. Every day he faces many difficulties because of his religion, but "whenever I imagine the scene on the cross I feel great because we have someone who truly loves us from the core of His heart and there I found a person who loves me so much that He died [. . .] for my sins."
The death and resurrection of Jesus was also the main theme for reflection of this year's Lent and Easter in Pakistan's dioceses, but each diocese also added one of its own.
In Faisalabad Bishop Joseph Coutts invited the faithful to reflect upon 'sharing and development'.
The Bishop, who is also national director of Caritas Pakistan, told AsiaNews that he was inspired by the Year of the Eucharist launched by Pope John Paul II. "Sharing and development are what our community needs if it is to advance", he said.
The elderly were at the centre of Lent activities in the diocese of Lahore. "We have followed the Pope's message about Lent," Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha said, "which underscores the value and importance of the elderly."
The faithful have raised funds for this most vulnerable of groups and visited the Old Age Home in Lahore.
Holy Week celebrations followed tradition. In every diocese, after the Way of the Cross families gave their respective parish the boxes with the money they raised during Lent.
On Easter eve Catholic Ngo Milap handed out 10 kilos of flower to 35 peasant families in Kasur parish, Baluchistan province (western Pakistan), an area recently affected by torrential rain and flooding that wiped out entire crops.
On Easter Sunday, family and friends met to celebrate. As usual people wore new clothes exchanging greeting cards and singing. (QF)
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