Solumn Sunday: A week on, families mourn their dead in silence

Churches in the city to hold regular Sunday services.

LAHORE:

Bells will not toll this Sunday for the 18 victims who died in two suicide attacks on Christ Church and St John’s Catholic Church a week ago. Churches across the city will hold their usual Sunday services and references, if any, will be entirely local, Lahore Diocese Bishop Irfan Jamil said on Saturday. 

The Anglican and Catholic churches have not planned a joint reference or memorial service to mark the Sunday after the attacks fearing an untoward incident, Lahore Cathedral Dean Rev Shahid Meraj said. “We might plan a joint memorial service and reference in the coming weeks,” he said, “Now is not the right time.” He said that all churches, including Christ Church and St John’s, would hold a routine Sunday service. “We decided to dial it down because of the sensitivity around the issue,” he said.

Meraj said police had provided all churches adequate security on Friday in the wake of a threat of possible backlash from religious fundamentalists. “Police have promised all churches special security for the Sunday service and we are quite satisfied with that,” he said. Another reason why the churches decided to keep a low profile was that the police was busy with preparations for Pakistan Day on March 23, Meraj said. Arshad Naveed, a member of Christ Church’s parish council, said this was the first Sunday after the attacks and was an important one. The services will be solemn, but no, there will be no special reference this week, he said. He said they might plan a joint service to remember the victims of the attack after Easter.

Father Francis Gulzar of the Roman Catholic Saint John’s Church said the congregation on Sunday would pray for the victims and families of those affected in the terrorist attacks. “We will also pray for and remember the two men killed in the riots that followed…the church leadership will visit their families in the coming week to condole the deaths.”  Father Gulzar said, “We have not planned a service on a large scale to avoid any unnecessary disruption of law and order.” The provincial government and the city police had both assured them of strict security measures for the neighbourhood as well as all churches in the city, he said.

Several parish members and Christians across the city have appreciated the church leadership’s decision not to hold a joint service. Requesting anonymity, the pastor of a local church in Youhanabad said several families had already left the area fearing a possible backlash.

“One of my congregation members was beaten up at Nishtar Stop a few days ago after some residents of the area recognised him as a Christian from Youhanabad.”  These are dark times, he said. “We must tread carefully.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2015.