Fr. Francis Gulzar, vicar general of Lahore Archdiocese, issued a directive on September 4, 2017, after Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, visited Sacred Heart Cathedral on September 1, 2017. Photos of the event went viral in social media platforms and the users strongly condemned her for holding such an event inside the cathedral and many commented negatively about how His Excellency Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore blessed Maryam during her visit.
As reported by ucanews.com, Fr. Francis remarked that “Considering that the house of God is the house of prayer, church administration gave permission and with mutual consent, it was decided that she would thank Christian schools for her family members’ education in Christian schools.” Further, he added, “But after expressing the gratitude, her discourse became political and her political speech at the Sacred Heart Cathedral has vexed us as well as all of you and now our sentiments have been hurt.”
His Grace Archbishop Sebastian Shaw and the church administration expressed their apologies for this incident and Pakistani Catholic Bishop’s National Commission for Justice and Peace described the incident as “a grave error”.
