Lahore's Sacred Heart Cathedral receives Belgian Heritage Prize

The cathedral is among the three prize winners around the world for the year 2015

LAHORE: Belgian Ambassador Frederic Verheyden awarded the Belgian Heritage Abroad prize to Lahore's Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday.

The cathedral is now among the three prize winners around the world for the year 2015.

The Belgian ambassador said that a plaque would be installed as part of the prize ceremony, followed by a thanksgiving mass.

Archbishop of Lahore Monseigneur Sebastian Francis Shaw welcomed the ambassador upon his arrival at the church, while US Consular General Lahore Zachary Harkenridder and Provincial Minister for Minorities Affairs and Human Rights Punjab Khalil Tahir Sindhu were also present during the ceremony.



Addressing the media after the ceremony, Frederic said it was his second visit to Lahore and he was very happy to announce the prize.

The minister for minorities’ affairs said Belgium had taken the initiative to set up the church, which has been spreading the message of peace and tolerance.

Speaking at the ceremony, the archbishop of Lahore said being a Pakistani, he was proud that this building had been selected for the prize, adding that the church had its roots in historical presence of the Belgian chaplains in Pakistan.

The Belgian Heritage Abroad was announced by Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders in Brussels on November 25.



The prize aims to promote rich and often forgotten heritage that does not only award the most outstanding local conservation initiatives, but is also meant to be an indirect incentive for better long-term conservation.

The criteria for choosing the winners include size and visibility of the heritage site, the historical, art-historic, economic and cultural significance of the heritage site, its importance for the bilateral relations and the possibilities of the winner to promote the prize locally in order to create public interest.