Interfaith prayers in Pakistan for peace in Lebanon

(August 07, 2006): - In Pakistan, Christians and Muslims recently took part in a Church-sponsored prayer service that condemned the ongoing Israeli assaults and killing of civilians in Lebanon. The Pakistan bishops' National Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism, and the youth group "Share and Care" of St. Mary's Church, organized the service at St. Mary's Parish Hall in Lahore. Most of the 250 participants were young Christians and Muslims, but 10 nuns, and some catechists and teachers also attended. During the prayer service, Capuchin Father Morris Jalal, patron of the "Share and Care" group, condemned "the killing of innocent lives by the fire of bombs and bullets." He told the assembly that "war and bloodshed cause destruction to humanity, irrespective of region, religion, color or race," and he declared, "We start our protest from this peace prayer forum." Readings from the Qur'an and the Bible opened the service. It closed with two youths, a Christian and a Muslim, who lit a peace candle as students of St. Thomas School staged a tableau on peace. Then the participants demonstrated with raised placards and chanted, "No to war, yes to peace, we want peace". The National Commission for Justice and Peace of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference issued a statement expressing concern for the continuing violence in Lebanon. Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore and Peter Jacob, respectively chairperson and executive secretary of the commission, signed the statement. It strongly condemns all attacks on civilian targets and calls on the United Nations to intensify efforts to halt the war.