Sadness, fear and defiance animated a crowd of 700 who attended mass outside their burnt-out church in Pakistan [1] last Sunday following one of the country’s worst outbreaks of persecution in a generation.
Amid tight security, Bishop Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad presided at the Mass held in the streets of Jaranwala where the previous Wednesday a multitude of people narrowly fled a mob of thousands who went on the rampage.
Up to 24 churches, hundreds of Christian homes and a Christian cemetery were targeted in the attack which was sparked by reports of a blasphemy allegation against two Christians accused of desecrating the Qur’an.
After the service outside St. Paul’s Catholic Church, a Christian community leader, who is not being named for security reasons, told ACN: “Most of the people were crying in the Mass. It was a very painful time but a chance to share with one another their sense of loss and sadness.