This Month Sees the Church in Pakistan Experiencing both Joy and Suffering

Tragedy for Christians

On April 2, 2018, Easter Monday, an attack killed four and wounded one in the Christian neighborhood of Shah Zaman. The victims were all members of one randomly chosen family of innocents.

On the evening of April 15, 2018, four men on two motorcycles entered the Christian neighborhood of Essa Nagri in the city of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, where they opened fire, killing two Christians and wounding five others. One of the victims was Catholic, the other Protestant. The wounded were taken to the hospital of Bolan.

A New Chapel at the University

But the month of April also witnessed a happy event for the Pakistani Catholic minority: the Church now has a place of worship inside the public university of Faisalabad. This is also the first Christian place of worship in a public university in Pakistan.

The chapel was inaugurated on April 15, in the presence of Archbishop Joseph Arshad, Apostolic Administrator for the diocese of Faisalabad, Muhammed Iqbal Zafar, vice Chancellor, and many professors, religious, and students.

As Archbishop Arshad told Fides, the chapel was placed under the protection of Our Lady:

The presence of a church inside the university enclosure will offer a message of love and harmony throughout the country. Christians will come here to pray for the progress and prosperity of the institute and of Pakistan.

After blessing the chapel, Archbishop Arshad celebrated Mass. During his sermon, he gave thanks to God and thanked those who worked to complete the project. The prelate concluded by inviting young people to “give importance to higher education and to actively contribute to the common good of Pakistan.”