This award is among the highest civil honours in the Pakistani State and is awarded for special service to the nation in the field of culture and public life”, said Cardinal Joseph Coutts, Archbishop Emeritus of Karachi, speaking with Agenzia Fides, and expresses appreciation to the Pakistani government for having rewarded a Catholic nun, who passed away in 2020, who dedicated 52 years of her life to the abandoned and marginalized children in Pakistan.

Cardinal Joseph Coutts states: “We thank Sister Ruth Lewis and the Sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King (FMCK) for their great work with children”, said Cardinal Joseph Coutts. “In 1959, the FMCK sisters responded to the growing demand in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi and agreed to accompany and care for children with mental and physical disabilities.

After the death of the nursing home’s founder, Sister Gertrude Lemmens, Sister Ruth Lewis assumed responsibility for running the home, which was dependent on donations. Thanks to her patient and constant work, Dar-ul-Sukun, i.e. the ‘House of Peace and Love’ has become the largest institution of its kind in the city with over 21 million inhabitants”.

Source: Agenzia Fides

Photo: Vatican News