Francis Nadeem, OFM Cap. (October 27, 1955 – July 3, 2020) was a Capuchin Franciscan priest who worked in the Archdiocese of Lahore in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Early life

He was born in Gujranwala on October 27, 1955. In 1970, he joined the St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore. He was ordained a priest on September 14, 1986.

Career

He was chief editor of Catholic Naqib, the

Urdu language Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

Catholic journal, in 1989. He was the Parish Priest of

St. Mary's Church, Gulberg St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Gulberg, Pakistan. It was founded in 1961 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore. The parish priest from 2000 to 2002 was Fr. Francis Nadeem, OFMCap The parish priest in 2020 is Fr. Patrick ...

from 2000 to 2002. Fr. Nadeem was nominated for an Independence Day Award on August 15, 2000 for outstanding service to the country. He published books on the contribution of Christians to Pakistan. In 2004, he led Christian and Muslim representatives as they marched together along the India-Pakistan border in

Kasur Kasur (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; also Romanization, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to the south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city s ...

, 55 kilometres south of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, to affirm their desire for peace in Kashmir and to support dialogue in both countries. He was critical of the Ethics textbook for grade nine, approved and published by the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Textbook Board, which lacks a chapter on Christianity and

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, which he called open discrimination against Christians in Pakistan. Such efforts are marginalising minorities and making them feel like strangers in their country. He claimed that the extremism prevalent during the past few decades shows that forces are working to eliminate minorities from Pakistan. President, General

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

, announced 150 Pakistan Civil Awards on 14 August 2006, including

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (), also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the ...

to Father Francis Nadeem for Public Service. Father Nadeem, who headed the National Council for Interfaith Dialogue in Lahore, criticized the government for being "unclear" and "very silent" on extending dialogue with India. The priest said he had stopped participating in or organizing Kashmir rallies since the present government came to power in 2014. Five Franciscan Capuchin brothers received their Solemn Profession at St. Francis Church, Kot Lakhpat, Lahore, on September 22, 2015. Custos of Mariam Siddeeqa Custody Pakistan Francis Nadeem administered the Solemn Profession while Morris Jalal and Fr. John Joseph OFM Cap were the concelebrants. In 2015, Nadeem became the provincial of the Capuchin friars in Pakistan.

Death

Nadeem died of a heart attack on July 3, 2020. More than 2,000 people attended his funeral at

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore Sacred Heart Cathedral () is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore, located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Built at the behest of bishop Godefroid Pelckmans (Bishop of Lahore, 1893-1904) with Belgian aid and materials, the cathedral w ...

concelebrated by three bishops and 100 priests.UCANews July 6, 2020
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nadeem, Francis 1955 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Pakistani Roman Catholic priests Catholic pacifists Pakistani Christian pacifists Religious leaders from Lahore Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Pakistani Friars Minor 21st-century Pakistani Roman Catholic priests