Official Statement by the Sacred Heart Cathedral regarding the Event of Sept 1

Lahore: A message by Fr. Francis Gulzar, Vicar General of Archdiocese of Lahore, has been issued in response to the reaction of the community against the address of Maryam Nawaz at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore on Friday, September 01, 2017.




He explained, “On Friday noon Senator Kamran Michael, Tahir Khalil Sandho and Shakeel Ivan came with a prayer request and blessings for Kalsoom Nawaz’s health, who is undergoing treatment for lymphoma in UK. The church opened the door for them and advise them to come after the regular prayer.”

He further stated, “It was not in the plan that Mariam Nawaz will deliver a political speech in the Church. It was decided that she will only pass a thank you note. However, after the words of thanks, the speech became political. The faithful and the administration of the Cathedral were hurt for having the Church used for political speech by Mariam Nawaz. Church administration and Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw apologize for this.”

“We agreed that Churches are always open for everyone for prayer and request but not for politics. Now, we request that this situation must be defused”, he concluded.

Here is the video message by Fr. Francis Gulzar