Ecumenical service held in Bangladesh for Easter

(April 26, 2011) In Bangladesh, thousands of Christians including many Catholics, prayed and sang together in an ecumenical Easter Sunrise prayer service in front of the national parliament building in Dhaka early on Easter Sunday morning. The traditional prayer service organized by Bangladesh Pastors’ Fellowship (BPF), a Protestant forum, was accompanied by speeches, common prayers and religious music. Participants prayed for peace for their families, their country and the world. Some foreign nationals also attended the program. The Bangladesh parliament speaker allowed the arrangement of the only religious program on parliamentary premises in 1996. Since then, it has turned into an ecumenical program for various Christian denominations in the country.
Michal Komol Adhikary, a Protestant pastor said “We believe in the risen Christ, not in the empty tomb. The inspiration Jesus brought for us by winning victory over death, encourages us to become ideal Christians. It will help preach good news of Jesus to other faiths in Bangladesh,” he added.