Before leaving, the archbishop asked John Paul II for his blessing, explaining that he could not leave the faithful on their own at such a crisis moment.
Pakistani Christians feel vulnerable at this time, the missionary agency Fides reported a few days ago. President Pervez Musharraf´s decision to support the United States has unleashed protests by Muslim fundamentalists, and some fear they will take revenge on the country´s Christians.
Pakistan, a Muslim country with a population of 150 million, has about 1 million baptized Catholics.
