2011-10-27 13:46:47

Pakistan schools should offer Christian religious education


(October 27, 2011) Bishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Lahore, said that state schools in Pakistan should offer Christian religious education for its Christian students. The bishop said Catholic schools offer Muslim school children the opportunity to attend Islamic religious teaching, but in state schools there is no religious teaching for members of minority religions. He added that Catholic schools teach their students – who include many Muslims – about universal human values. “People who truly believe in their religion will also respect other people,” Bishop Shaw said. “When people learn to choose goodness, they will also find goodness in other people. We respect each and every Pakistani, regardless of which religion he or she belongs to.” It is important, the Bishop emphasised, for all people in Pakistan to work together for a peaceful future. Teachers and university professors in particular, as well as politicians, have an important role to play within society. At the present time, minorities still “live in fear”, he added. But Bishop Shaw explained that there is reason to hope, because attempts have been made in recent times to foster dialogue, greater harmony and democratisation in society. Various commissions and non-governmental organisations, but also the state itself, are contributing to this. Of Pakistan’s population of approximately 184 million, over 96% are Muslims and 1.2 million belong to the Catholic Church. The majority of these live in the Archdiocese of Lahore.








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