The installation of Archbishop Khalid Rehmat closes a turbulent chapter for Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese. A Capuchin Franciscan friar has been installed as archbishop of Lahore, assuming leadership of Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese after a turbulent period marked by the removal of his predecessor. Archbishop Khalid Rehmat, OFM Cap, 57, was installed as head of the Archdiocese of Lahore on March 28 in a ceremony that acknowledged a period of “particular difficulties and challenges” following the removal of Archbishop Sebastian Shaw, OFM, in August 2024 – an unprecedented development in the country’s Catholic history.
During the liturgy, Vicar General Father Asif Sardar read the Urdu translation of the papal bull, which referenced the trials faced by Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese, home to an estimated 577,000 faithful. “We devote all our energies to the governance of the ship of the Church, which for different reasons is sometimes assailed by waves, requiring the guidance of both ourselves and the devoted pastors appointed by us. For this reason, we have turned our attention to the metropolitan see of Lahore,” he said, quoting Pope Leo XIV.
The remarks were widely interpreted as an indirect reference to Shaw, who was appointed apostolic Vicar of Quetta and installed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on March 24. Prior to that, he had been residing at the Franciscan Friars Minor house in Karachi while on what Church authorities described as a sabbatical. Shaw has faced multiple allegations in recent years, including claims of financial mismanagement and misconduct involving Church funds and properties, circulated in media reports and on social media. In 2017, he drew criticism for allowing a political address by Maryam Nawaz, now chief minister of Punjab, at Sacred Heart Cathedral during an election campaign. Further controversy emerged in 2021 when a Christian activist shared on social media photographs and documents alleging irregular land transactions linked to Shaw. (EWTN News.)
