Like other parts of the country, Christian community in the City celebrated Good Friday with religious fervour, while Easter will be celebrated on Sunday to commemorate Jesus Christ’s passion, crucifixion, and death, which is told in the Christian Bible.
In this regard a special prayer ceremony held at Roman Catholic Church, Lawrence Road, on Friday. Provincial Minister for MA&HR Ijaz Alam Augustine along with minority MPA Haroon Imran Gill and other religious leaders attended the special prayer service. Due to the directions of government mostly Christians participated through on line system and started their service at 12pm and it lasted till 3pm, the time Jesus Christ spent on the Cross.
To commemorate his crucifixion and sacrifice, special prayers were also held at throughout the country. The minister said in his address to the community that Good Friday is a reminder of the compassion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Good Friday tells us a tale of hope as Jesus spoke of love, forgiveness, and truth, and not of violence, fanaticism, or revenge. The provincial minister said that Government of the Punjab with the consent of all religious leaders had announced that no congregation would be held on the eve of Good Friday and Easter in the wake of corona threat.
He said the entire Christian community had decided that instead of gatherings, the followers would join services through video link or online streaming. Recordings of prayer ceremonies will be released on the Internet so that Christian communities can perform rituals while sitting at home. The minister also praised the Christian community for adopting thought of national unity and solidarity, saying that “Good Friday and Easter are big festivals for Christians, but in the context of Corona pandemic no risk of congregations can be taken”.
Arch Bishop Sebastian Francis Shaw in his sermons emphasized the importance of religious tolerance, fraternity and brotherhood. He called on Christians to play a positive role in the country’s development and spread love and peace. He also administered prayer for the end of the corona disaster.
Meanwhile, all the churches in Punjab remain closed and no prayers held in them so long as the emergency prevails due to corona. Bishop Irfan Jamil, Pastor Anwer Fazal, Rev Dr Majeed Abel, Lft Col(r) Bottison Daniel, Pastor Liaqat Qaiser and other religious leaders were also present in the prayer ceremony.