Pro Fide’s flagship project is Elisius Salt, a social enterprise we are building from the ground up to support Catholic life in Pakistan.
The Prophet Elisha (Elisius in Latin) performed his first miracle with salt, making the waters of Jericho productive. (2 Kings 2:19-22)
Elisius Salt will hopefully be Pro Fide’s first “productive miracle.” Check out our online store here!
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is an extremely difficult environment for Christians to live and to work. Christians are normally confined to their own neighborhoods within cities and face severe systemic discrimination, including in the limited professional opportunities available to them. One’s religious affiliation is listed on official documents – there is no option for “prudent silence.” This also means that those who are known as Christians choose to remain so, despite the constant ambient pressure to become a Muslim for the sake of convenience. Instead, they choose to continue to live in slums, to limit their careers, and to face the ever-looming threat of coercion and violence.
There are about 3.3 million Christians in Pakistan – this seems like a large number, but it is just over 1% of the total population.
We are trying to help a few of them by selling a famous natural resource that comes from the countryside around Islamabad – “Himalayan” pink salt. Our first chosen beneficiaries for the premium off the product are the Dominican friars in Karachi (they are not sponsoring or endorsing the product). More details coming soon.