Pope condemns Pakistan church blast as act of hate and war

September 23, 2013 - Pope Francis on Sunday condemned a blast at a church in north-western Pakistan that killed at least 81 people as an act of "hatred and war". "Today, in Pakistan, because of a wrong choice of hatred, of war, there was an attack in which 70 people died,” the Pope said in unprepared remarks at the end of a day-long visit to the city of Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia. “This path,” he said, “is not right and serves nothing. Only the path of peace can build a better world," the Pope said. A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up amid hundreds of worshippers outside the All Saints Church in the city of Peshawar, injuring over 140. The attack occurred as worshippers were leaving after services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn. The historic church, dating back to 1883, is a parish of the Church of Pakistan, which is part of the Anglican Communion.
The remarks of Pope Francis came at the end of his talk to young Sardinians where he was encouraging them to forge ahead with Jesus to build, to do good, to go ahead living, to help others and build a better world of peace. “If you don’t do it, no one else will do it,” the Pope said,. He then invited all to join him in praying an ‘Our Father’ for all those killed in the Pakistani attack. The Holy Father also prayed to the Madonna to help all to work for a better world, to take up the path of building up, the path of peace and never the road of destruction and war.