ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony said that Minister of State, Kheal Das Kohistani and Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs, Ramesh Singh Arora would represent Pakistan at the oath-taking ceremony of Pope Leo, the newly elected spiritual leader of the global Catholic community.
According to the Ministry’s spokesperson Muhammad Umar Butt, both ministers will participate in the ceremony scheduled to be held in Vatican City on May 18.
Their visit underscores Pakistan’s commitment to interfaith harmony and its respect for religious diversity.
Pope Leo will become the 267th head of the Roman Catholic Church, assuming leadership of more than a billion Catholics worldwide.
Earlier, the Catholic Church elected Cardinal Robert Prevost, a little-known missionary from Chicago as its new leader, making him the first U.S. pope. He chose the papal name Leo XIV.
Pope Leo stepped onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that the 133 cardinal electors had selected a new leader for the Catholic Church’s 1.4 billion members.
He greeted the cheering crowd in fluent Italian, saying, “Peace be with you all.” During his brief address, he also spoke in Spanish but chose not to speak in English.
