Pakistan Catholics pray for persecutors during Marian festival

(September 11, 2009) About a million Catholics prayed for a change of heart of terrorists during Pakistan`s most popular Marian pilgrimage. "We place the rehabilitation work for attacked Christians at the feet of Mother Mary. Let us pray and fast for the transformation of terrorists involved in the recent anti-Christian violence," said Father Emmanuel Asi in his address to Marian devotees. "We are a complete part of this country and want to become instruments of peace," added the priest, executive secretary of the Catholic Bible Commission of Pakistan. More than a million people attended the Sept. 4-6 program, the 60th annual pilgrimage to the National Marian Shrine in the Christian village of Mariamabad, literally the "city of Mary." The Marian shrine in Lahore archdiocese traditionally draws several hundred thousand of Pakistan`s 1.6 million Catholics, as well as some Muslims. The event is keyed to the Sept. 8 feast of the birth of the Blessed Mother. Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore celebrated the morning Mass on the first two days of the pilgrimage, while his assistant, Auxiliary Bishop Sebastian Shah, took over on the last day. Father Asi, who spoke during the Sept. 5 Mass, also demanded the repeal of the country`s controversial blasphemy laws, which he said persecutes innocent Pakistanis, half of them poor Christians.