Lahore cathedral repair funded by government ‎

Pakistan’s Lahore District Government has provided more than US$ 30,000 to repair the dome of Lahore’s Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral. An earthquake last November had damaged the over 50-metre tall dome and brought down the cross on top.  The dome, which engineers until recently were reluctant to work on at that height, will regain its former glory thanks to Muhammad Ishtiaq, a Muslim who is a town planning officer.   Archbishop Sebastian Shah on Wednesday came to view the work that started a couple of months ago.  Masons have begun to remove the bricks that fell from the damaged parts.  

The Rector Fr Joseph Shehzad thanked Ishtiaq and his family at a ceremony in his honour.  Ishtiaq told AsiaNews, “The cathedral is a national heritage.”  “There are personal clashes between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan. The leaders of both religions should stop anyone who spread hatred between the two communities," Ishtiaq added.

Lahore's Sacred Heart Cathedral was built in 1907 by E. Dobbeleers, a Belgian architect from Antwerp. In 2007, the church celebrated its first centennial. For the occasion, Pope Benedict XVI sent a congratulatory message to the local congregation. For its part, the government issued a commemorative stamp.  In 2008, the cathedral, the Caritas Lahore building, the bishop's residence and the rectory were seriously damaged in a suicide bomb attack.    Last year, the cathedral received an award for Belgian heritage abroad.   (AsiaNews)