VATICAN CITY, MARCH 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is praying that the assasination of the only Christian member of Pakistan’s cabinent, Shahbaz Bhatti, will «awaken» consciences to the need to protect religious freedom.
The Pope said this today before praying the Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Bhatti, 42, was shot repeatedly Wednesday as he left his mother’s home in Islamabad.
Bhatti was an outspoken opponent of Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws, which can impose the death penalty for actions judged to insult Mohammed. 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.
«I ask the Lord Jesus that the Pakistani minister Shahbaz Bhatti’s moving sacrifice of his life awaken in consciences the courage and the commitment to safeguard the religious freedom of all men and, in this way, promote their equal dignity,» said Benedict XVI.
The Pope said that he is also following «with great apprehension the tensions that in these have arisen in the various countries of Africa and Asia.»
In particular he mentioned Libya, «where the recent conflicts have caused numerous deaths and a growing humanitarian crisis.»
The Pope added, «I assure my prayers and nearness to all the victims and those who find themselves in anxious circumstances as I call for help and succor for the stricken populations.»
