Joseph Arshad

Joseph Arshad is the Catholic Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in Pakistan. He serves as a prominent religious leader and the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan.

Early life and education

Arshad was born on August 25, 1964, in Lahore. He completed his early schooling at St Joseph’s High School within the parish. After he finished school, he began his priestly education at St. Mary's Minor Seminary in Lahore. He later continued these studies at Christ the King Seminary in Karachi.

He traveled to Rome in 1995 to study Canon Law at the Pontifical Urban University. During this period, he also underwent training as a papal diplomat at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. In 1999, the Urbaniana University Press published his doctoral dissertation regarding the responsibility of a diocesan bishop in defending the unity of the universal Church. He also studied journalism for a period of time.

Career

Arshad was ordained on November 1, 1991. Following his ordination, he served as the Parochial Vicar of St. Joseph's Church and managed St. Peter's School in Gujranwala. He holds the distinction of being the first Pakistani priest to join the papal diplomatic service. From 1999 to 2002, he worked at the Apostolic Nunciature in Malta. He then served at the Apostolic Nunciatures in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Madagascar until 2010.

By July 2013, he was working as a counsellor at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Faisalabad on July 3, 2013. He celebrated his first Mass as a bishop at St. Joseph's Church in Lahore on November 3, 2013. As the head of the Commission for Social Communications, he attended the 15th Conference of Radio Veritas Asia listeners on September 21, 2015.

Arshad was appointed the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi on November 12, 2016. This position became vacant following the death of Bishop Rufin Anthony on October 17, 2016. He assumed the presidency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan on November 10, 2017. On December 8, 2017, Pope Francis transferred him to become the Bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi and conferred upon him the personal title of archbishop.

He chairs the Catholic Bishop’s National Commission for Justice and Peace. In July 2019, he inaugurated a six-month preparatory course for young men and women. This program helps students prepare for the Central Superior Services exam used to recruit public service officials.

Awards and recognition

On December 10, 2016, Arshad received the National Human Rights Award 2016. Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain presented this award to him for his advocacy regarding human rights.