Ruth Katherina Martha Pfau, FCM (9 September 1929 – 10 August 2017) was a German–Pakistani Catholic Christian religious sister and physician who was a member of the "Society of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary".

[5] During this period Pfau frequently met a Dutch Christian woman who was a concentration camp survivor and was dedicating her life to "preaching love and forgiveness".

After "her life-changing experience", Pfau left "a romantic association" with a fellow student and became involved in discussions in Mainz's philosophy and classical literature department.

[9] She travelled to various parts of Pakistan[10] and across the border to Afghanistan[11] to rescue patients who were abandoned by their families or locked in small rooms for a lifetime.

Not all of us can prevent a war; but most of us can help ease sufferings—of the body and the soul.In 1960, aged 31, Pfau decided to dedicate the rest of her life to the people of Pakistan and their battle against leprosy outbreaks.

[15] Due to her continued efforts, in 1996 the World Health Organization declared Pakistan one of the first countries in Asia to have controlled leprosy.

[20] Pfau had been dealing with several health problems due to her advanced age, including kidney and heart disease,[7] for which she had been undergoing treatment for several years.

[19] President Mamnoon Hussain issued the statement: "Dr Pfau’s services to end leprosy in Pakistan cannot be forgotten.

"[21] Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said: "Dr Ruth Pfau may have been born in Germany, [but] her heart was always in Pakistan."

On 19 September 2017, Pfau's body lay in state at the Holy Family Hospital in Karachi ahead of the funeral.

[23] The state funeral for Pfau was held at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, in front of which the flags of Pakistan and Vatican City were flown at half mast,[24] with Archbishop Joseph Coutts presiding over the Requiem.

[28] Saleem Maseh Amir says that she never talked about religion, yet "her faith, service, and love" were demonstrations of the spirit that inspired inter-religious dialogue.

On 23 March 1989, Pfau received the Hilal-i-Pakistan award presented by the then-President of Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan at the President House for her work with leprosy patients.

[36][37] In February 2020, the President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi inaugurated the Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical College in Karachi.