Aid to the Church in Need: Pakistan: Rebuilding the church of Our Lady, after extremist attack

Pakistan: Rebuilding the church of Our Lady, after extremist attack

Posted by Project of the Week on 25/5/2009, 12:23 pm
Board Administrator

PAKISTAN: Rebuilding the church of Our Lady in Sukkur Sindh,
after an attack by extremists

It is three years now since the Catholic church of Our Lady in Sukkur Sindh was almost completely destroyed, along with a Protestant church, by an angry mob, after Islamic fundamentalists had spread a false rumour that a Christian had burned some pages from the Koran. Virtually nothing was left of this beautiful, 120 year-old church of Our Lady; instead everything – from statues, benches, missals, chalices and liturgical vestments through to the entire electrical wiring, the roof, windows and doors - was either burned or smashed up by this fanatical mob. The police and fire brigade did virtually nothing to protect the Christians or their property. The government promised rapid help, but to this day neither have any of the perpetrators been punished nor has any of the promised aid for rebuilding materialised. To date the Catholic faithful have no alternative but to celebrate Mass either in the school hall or under an open sky.

(Bishop Max J. Rodrigues of Hyderabad, standing with the parish priest and two nuns in the church of Our Lady in Sukkur Sindh after it was destroyed by the extremists)

Until recently Bishop Max J. Rodrigues of Hyderabad was still hoping that the government might yet keep its promise. But now he has finally been obliged to abandon this hope. The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has stepped in to assist the Bishop with a grant of over $50,000. Bishop Rodrigues writes, "I am immensely grateful to ACN for the huge human, moral and financial support you have given to the suffering people of Sukkur and to the local church at a time when they most need it. We promise to pray for you!"

To help this cause please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org