PAKISTANI MINORITY MINISTER MURDER BY MUSLIM XTREMISTS
Archbishop Reacts to Bhatti's Murder
LONDON, MARCH 8, 2011 The president of the Pakistan Episcopal Conference
says last week's murder of the only Christian member of the Pakistani cabinet has
left minority groups feeling “oppressed, repressed and depressed.”
This was the evaluation given to Aid to the Church in Need by Archbishop
Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore in reaction to last Wednesday's murder of Shahbaz
Bhatti. Bhatti was the Federal Minister for Minorities.
Archbishop Saldanha spoke of the growth of an "extremist form of Islam" in the
country, where some 2.5 million Christians are the nation's largest minority group.
Christians and Hindus combined constitute less than 5% of Pakistan's 184 million
people. Shia Muslims are also a minority, with Sunni Muslims being 75% of the
population.
Speaking with Aid to the Church in Need from Lahore, Archbishop Saldanha said,
“The murder of Shahbaz Bhatti means that we have lost a great leader of our
community who stood up for us and articulated the concerns and fears of our
people. We do not have a leader now.”
The 74-year-old prelate described the people as more fearful of the future than
before.
"We cannot speak out," he said. "We feel oppressed, repressed and depressed."
Bhatti was an outspoken opponent of Pakistan's anti-blasphemy laws, which can
impose the death penalty or life imprisonment for actions judged to insult
Mohammed or the Quran. These laws are decried by human rights advocates
around the world as a method to repress minorities. They garnered international
attention again recently due to the death penalty being handed down to a Christian
woman, Asia Bibi.
Bhatti is the second Pakistani official to be murdered for his opposition to the laws
in as many months. Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, was killed in
early January by his bodyguard.
Martyr's crown
In his interview with Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Saldanha spoke of his
government as being too weak to "put up a stand against the menace of extremism."
He described the security Pakistanis see necessary for Christian buildings, noting
how his Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore is under police guard with cameras,
cement barriers, sandbags and perimeter walls.
But Archbishop Saldanha also affirmed Pakistani Christians would persevere: “Our
people are very resilient and determined. For centuries, they have been suffering.
This is nothing new for them. They have always been under the thumb. We carry on
with God’s grace.”
The bishops' conference is considering the submission of a formal request to the
Holy See to officially recognize Bhatti as a martyr.
*****************************************************