2015-03-16 16:56:00

Pakistan Church condemns Lahore church bombings


The Catholic Church of Pakistan has strongly condemned Sunday’s brutal suicide bombings against ‎churches in Lahore, urging all Pakistanis to stand with their fellow Christians against extremists.   In an ‎official statement, the Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference (PCBC) urged the nation’s provincial and ‎federal governments to "take effective measures to provide security to the churches of Pakistan, so as to ‎guarantee freedom of religion and worship".    The statement signed by PCBC president, ‎Archbishop ‎Joseph ‎Coutts of Karachi, urged government, political parties, religious leaders and all ‎citizens of Pakistan to stand alongside their Christian brothers and sisters, against extremist forces.   ‎

Suicide bombers exploded themselves near St. John’s Catholic Church and the Protestant Christ ‎Church, some 600 meters apart, in the Christian neighborhood of Youhanabad in Lahore city on ‎Sunday, as the faithful were gathered inside. At least 14 people were killed and many more injured.  ‎

‎Pakistan’s Catholic bishops also appealed to the Christian community, asking them to "avoid violence ‎and to cooperate with the police in their investigations. We pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for the health ‎of the injured and to grant grace to the families of the martyrs ".  Episodes "of such atrocities," ‎Archbishop Coutts said, "requires the whole nation to join hands and show itself united against ‎terrorism. We can belong to any religion - Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Baha'is or other - but we ‎should always promote peace and social harmony, protecting each other against terrorism. "‎

The terror attacks in Lahore have provoked a global outpouring of solidarity.  From India Card. Oswald ‎Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences ‎‎(FABC), told AsiaNews: "We offer our condolences to the bereaved families. May God comfort them ‎in this time of suffering and pain.”  "May the blood of these innocent Christians, bear fruits of mutual ‎tolerance and harmonious co-existence  and dialogue between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan,” ‎Cardinal Gracias wished. ‎

‎Pakistan's minority Christians on Monday blocked roads in the eastern cities of Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Gujranwala, in protest against the ‎Lahore attacks. The demonstration forced public transport services to shut down.  Protesters were also blocking ‎a major highway that runs near the two attacked churches and prevented cars from driving by, said ‎police officer Bilal Ahmad.   Authorities said all Christian schools would remain closed as ‎prayer services and funerals for the victims get underway later Monday, said Pakistani shipping and ‎ports minister and Christian community leader Kamran Michael.  He appealed on fellow Christians to ‎remain peaceful.  ‎

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar (TTP-JA) claimed responsibility for both attacks.  Pakistani ‎Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan denounced the twin church attacks as an ``inhuman act of ‎terrorism'' and said it also reflects the militants ``frustration'' in the face of a stepped-up military ‎operation against them. Last June, Pakistan launched a major operation to rout militants from their ‎strongholds and has claimed success in the offensive.  ``We have shrunk the space for them to operate,'' ‎Khan said Monday








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