One of the largest Catholic gatherings in Bangladesh drew an estimated 50,000 pilgrims just a week before the country’s general election, amid political tensions and the anxiety of minority communities.

The annual pilgrimage of St Anthony at Nagori parish in Gazipur on 6 January drew many Muslims and Hindus as well as Christians, reflecting the shrine’s longstanding reputation as a place of interfaith devotion.

Among the pilgrims was Preeti Gomes, 40, who came after the birth of her first child. “After my marriage I did not have a child for ten years. I prayed to Jesus through the intercession of Saint Anthony, and last October I had a daughter. I came to give thanks,” she said.

In his homily, the Archbishop of Dhaka Bejoy N. D’Cruze OMI described St Anthony of Padua as “the greatest preacher of the word after Saint Paul”, urging the faithful to imitate his sincerity, compassion and courage. He said the saint’s preaching had once moved even hardened critics to return to the Christian faith.

“If we lose anything – not only material things, but also devotion, respect or honesty – we can ask Saint Anthony’s help to restore it,” he said.

This year’s pilgrimage carried an added weight due to concerns among minority communities ahead of parliamentary elections on 12 February. Fr Khonok Vincent Gomes, the pilgrimage convener, told The Tablet that special prayers were offered “for peace, social harmony, and a free and fair election”, noting widespread fears among Christians and other minorities.