Pakistani, Indian Catholic bishops condemn Peshawar church attack

September 23, 2013 - The Catholic bishops of Pakistan have vehemently condemned Sunday’s deadly bomb attack at the All Saints Church in Peshawar, in which at least 81persons died and more than 140 have been injured. In a statement, Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, the president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference (PCBC) condemned in the "strongest terms" the ‘shameful and cowardly’ "attack on innocent men, women and children". He expressed sorrow and solidarity for the loss of “so many innocent lives" and their families. As a sign of mourning and protest, the archbishop announced the closure of all Christian educational institutions of Pakistan, September 23 to 25. Archbishop Coutts also calls for "special prayers" for "those who have been martyred and wounded", while launching an appeal to the whole Christian community to "remain calm and avoid violent acts". He appealed to the government of Pakistan to "take all necessary measures to catch the perpetrators," and urgent measures to "protect the places of worship of religious minorities " against attacks that have reached "alarming proportions."
Solidarity and condemnation have been expressed also by other Christian and Muslim leaders . Bishop Rufin Anthony of Islamabad-Rawalpindi described Sunday bombing as "a terrible event " for a country "plagued by terrorism". "Minorities are living in conditions of insecurity because of government policies", the prelate said, urging Christians "to protest in a peaceful manner and not cause incidents" at a time when "maximum unity is required." Condolences were also expressed by Maulana Tahir Ashrafi , chairman of the Ulema Council , who emphasizes his closeness to his Christian brothers and sisters. The Muslim leader said it is shameful that the government fails to protect the rights of minorities in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, India’s Catholic bishops have joined their counterparts in neighbouring Pakistan in condemning Sunday’s deadly bomb attack at the All Saints Church, Peshawar. “While condemning this dastardly act of violence against a defenceless congregation in worship and prayer, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) commends the souls of the dead to the mercy of God and invokes Divine assistance on those hundreds of suffering Christians, consequent on the bomb blast,” wrote CBCI Secretary General, Archbishop Albert D’Souza of Agra in a statement. He expressed concern that in the recent past, Christians have been targeted and attacked by one or other fundamentalist groups, for no fault of theirs, and sometimes for reasons, totally false and fabricated. India’s Catholic Bishops fully endorsed the statement of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who said that ‘targeting innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and that such cruel acts reflect the brutality and inhumane mind-set of terrorists’. The CBCI called upon the Pakistani government to ensure the safety and security of the minorities and to have recourse to all possible means to quell the fear and apprehension of the minorities and to create an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence with all other sections of the people of Pakistan.