Pope Francis has appealed to Pakistan’s government to take steps to ensure the safety of the country’s Christians and other minorities.
The Pope’s appeal came the day after a terrorist bombing in the Punjab provincial capital Lahore killed at least 70 people and injured more than 300 who were spending Easter afternoon in a public park.
Speaking after reciting the Regina Coeli prayer with pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square, the Pontiff said that in Pakistan, “Easter was bloodied by a hideous attack, which massacred many innocent people, mostly families belonging to the Christian minority – especially women and children – who were in a public park joyfully celebrating the Easter holiday.”
Attack
The attack, which took place late on Easter Sunday afternoon, appeared to involve a bombing at the main gate to the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park in an area where cars are usually parked, close to the children’s swings. A Taliban splinter group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility for the attack, indicating that it had specifically targeted Christians celebrating Easter.
Pakistan’s National Assembly voted on March 15 to allow Christians to celebrate Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as paid holidays.
Responding to the attack, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said the massacre “casts a shadow of sadness and anguish on the feast of the Easter” as “once again cowardly murderous hatred rages on the most defenceless”.
Pain
The Church, Fr Lombardi said, is “close to the wounded, to the affected families, to their immense pain, to the members of Christian minorities once again struck by fanatical violence, and to the entire Pakistani people”. Citing the Pope’s message on Easter morning, the Vatican spokesman continued, “despite such continuing horrible manifestations of hatred, may the crucified and risen Lord continue to give us the courage and hope needed to build paths of compassion, and solidarity, and with those who suffer, paths of dialogue, justice, reconciliation and peace”.
Before leading the crowd on Monday in reciting the Hail Mary for the victims and their families, Pope Francis described the attack as a “cowardly and senseless crime”, and called on Pakistan’s “civil authorities and all community leaders in that nation to do everything possible to ensure the security and serenity of the population, particularly the most vulnerable religious minorities”.
“Violence and homicidal hatred lead only to pain and destruction; respect and brotherhood are the only paths that lead to peace,” he said, asking the assembled crowds to pray that God “would stop the hand of the violent, who sow terror and death, and that in the world there may reign love, justice and reconciliation”.