Pakistan Church appeals for moderation in reaction to Bin Laden killing

The Church in Pakistan has welcomed the Vatican response to the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden. Peter Jacob, who heads the Pakistani Bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission says that “it is very important that people remain calm and avoid any exaggerated response to the incident”.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi had expressed the view that “faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices”, while at the same time condemning bin-Laden’s responsibility “for promoting division and hatred between peoples, causing the death of countless innocent lives, and of exploiting religions to this end”.

Jacob adds that "the situation is very serious and tense at the moment. People are reflecting on the consequences of a foreign military action on national soil. Also there are others ready to carry on bin-Laden's mission". Jacob also points out that Christians in Pakistan, long time victims of persecutin and violence, could bear the brunt of fundamentalist reprisals and calls on the government to step up its vigilance of sensitive sites. Listen: