Anti-Christian letter sparks anger in Pakistan

(June 17, 2010) A Pakistani Catholic priest has urged Christians to forgive those responsible for distributing letters insulting Christianity and Pope Benedict XVI in Punjab province. Letters stating that “Christianity is a religion of adultery; it preaches haramkari [acts forbidden in Islam]” were thrown into three Christian churches, including St. Mary’s Catholic Church, in Arifwala last week. The letters also criticized the Pope and appeared to bear the signature of a local Muslim lawyer. Father Martin Emmanuel, pastor of St. Mary’s, handed over the letter he found to the police. The best solution lies in forgiveness, said the priest, adding that St. Mary’s sub parish was “trying to contain the situation peacefully.” “Many Christians were infuriated, especially over the insults to the Holy Father,” he said. A few Christian lawyers and politicians are creating a stir over the incident but “this could be harmful for the vulnerable Christian community as almost all of them work in the houses of Muslims,” said Father Emmanuel. St. Mary’s sub parish, part of Faisalabad diocese, has 200 Catholic families, most of them poor sanitary workers. Pope Benedict could have been targeted as he is the head of the Catholic Church, said the priest. Meanwhile, Christian leaders in Arifwala are holding urgent meetings to discuss how best to respond to the incident.