From the 2 to the 5 of February, the Director paid a visit to the Church of Pakistan upon the gracious invitation of the Moderator, the Rt. Revd. Dr. Azad Marshall.

The programme for the visit was well thought of as it enabled Archbishop Ian to see and taste the inestimable witness of God’s love through the commitment of the bishops, clergy and people of the Church of Pakistan to serve and proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ whilst facing the challenges of being a minority group in the Pakistani society.

The mission of the Church goes beyond its walls as it seeks collaboration with other Church and faith groups. This certainly brings strength and sense of purpose to the presence of Christians in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

During his visit, he visited St Peter’s School of the Diocese of Raiwind and a village, Jarawanla, at around 100kms from Lahore, where a church building and houses of Christians were burnt. Archbishop Ian expressed to the victims his solidarity with the assurance of prayers from the wider Church.  The collaboration from the authorities and other faith  groups have facilitated the rehabilitation of the church building. He was deeply impressed by the work of the Salvation Army  in this village and beyond.

He met with Muslim Community leaders including the former special assistant to the Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi and the Chief Justice of Lahore.

Archbishop Ian had the privilege to meet with the Bishops of the Church of Pakistan and Members of Faculty and Students of the Institute of Theology. He shared about the work of the Anglican Centre and the need for local congregations to foster a greater ecumenical and interfaith collaboration for the sake of Peace in the world.

Please read the letter of thanks to Archbishop Ian for his visit from The Most Rev Dr Azad Marshall
Moderator/President Bishop Church of Pakistan which can be found here