MUMBAI, India – Bishops from Pakistan have recently arrived in Rome to meet with Pope Leo XIV.
They were meeting with Vatican officials during their ad limina visit, where bishops from different regions meet with the pope every five years.
Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Pakistan, spoke to Crux Now about the communion and fraternity among our brother bishops during this ad limina
“We were eight all together—seven bishops and one cardinal. And out of seven, we were three archbishops and four bishops,” he said.
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The country was once part of British India but split at independence in 1947.
“Pakistan, you know, that is a very small community, meaning that three million Christians out of 260 million population of Pakistan,” he explained.
“The communion and fraternity during this ad limina among the bishops were very good, and we were all together, were united. And we were very committed, supportive to each other. And the reporting in different dicasteries went very smoothly and very well, shared our views,” Shukardin said.
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“We had enough time to presenting our report and sharing. Each dicastery has given us enough time, and their way of accepting us remarkable,” he added.
“I say that we were very happy, and we all united and supportive to each other. We are not a big community. We are only seven bishops, so that’s why most of the time we are close to each other, asking advice, asking support, and always supporting each other when there is difficulties and problems,” the bishop said.
“But ad limina time, we were more closer to each other and happier as well,” he said.
Shukardin said the Pakistani bishop found meeting Pope Leo was “very fruitful.”
“I presented the report in which I shared both the successes and the challenges that the Christian community is facing,” he told Crux Now.
“He appreciated that, despite many challenges, the Christian community remains strong in faith. He was humble and listened to us very attentively,” the bishop said.
