In 2018, there were 1,333,450 Catholics in Pakistan, which represents less than 1% of the total population. There are seven ecclesiastical units in Pakistan comprising two archdioceses, four dioceses, and one apostolic vicariate, all Latin Rite.[1]
History
There is anecdotal evidence that St. Thomas the Apostle passed through Taxila (in the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi) in his journey in India in the first century AD, where he is said to have established the community of Saint Thomas Christians on the Malabar Coast.[2][3] A Saint Thomas Christian cross discovered in June 2020 made of marble and weighing more than three tons, about seven by six feet in size, was found in the mountains of Baltistan, in the northern areas of Pakistan.[4] It is estimated to be more than 900 years old, possibly being the earliest physical evidence of a Christian presence in what is now Pakistan.[5]
In 1745, the Bettiah Christian Mission, the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest surviving Christian community, was established by the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin under the patronage of King Dhurup Singh; the Hindustan Prefecture was raised in 1769 at Patna and later shifted to Agra, which was elevated to the status of a Vicariate in 1820.[6] The Capuchins, through their Agra Diocese and Allahabad Diocese, established in the 1800s Catholic churches in colonial India's northern provinces including Rajasthan, UP, CP, Bihar and Punjab, the latter of which now includes Pakistan.[6]
On 30 October 1945 in colonial India, the All India Conference of Indian Christians (AICIC) formed a joint committee with the Catholic Union of India to form a joint committee that passed a resolution in which, "in the future constitution of India, the profession, practice and propagation of religion should be guaranteed and that a change of religion should not involve any civil or political disability."[7] This joint committee enabled the Christians in India to stand united, and in front of the British Parliamentary Delegation "the committee members unanimously supported the move for independence and expressed complete confidence in the future of the community in India."[7] The office for this joint committee was opened in Delhi, in which the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University M. Mariadas Ruthnaswamy served as president and B.L. Rallia Ram of Lahore served as General Secretary.[7] Six members of the joint committee were elected to the Minorities Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India.[7] In its meeting on 16 April 1947 and 17 April 1947, the joint committee of the All India Conference of Indian Christians and All India Catholic Union prepared a 13-point memorandum that was sent to the Constituent Assembly, which asked for religious freedom for both organisations and individuals.[7]
Following the partition of India, the Catholic Union of India granted independence to its branches in Sind and Baluchistan in its Second Annual General Meeting in Bangalore in October 1947, which was presided by Ruthnasamy.[8]
The Catholic Church in Pakistan is active in education managing leading schools like Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, health[9] and other social aspects of daily life in addition to its spiritual work. In 2008 the Catholic Church runs 534 schools, 53 hostels, 8 colleges, 7 technical institutes and 8 catechetical centers.[10]
Pope John Paul II received the President of PakistanPervez Musharraf in a private audience in the Vatican on 30 September 2004.[12] In 2004 President Pervez Musharraf began hosting an annual Christmas dinner as an expression of seasonal goodwill. [13]
For the first time in the country's history, Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic, became the federal minister for minorities in 2008.[14] Bhatti was assassinated on 2 March 2011.[15]
On February 11, 2021, Pope Francis accepted Coutts resignation and appointed Bishop Benny Mario Travas of Multan as the sixth Archbishop of Karachi.[18]
List of Catholic provinces and dioceses in Pakistan
In 2020 the Church in Pakistan had grown to 173 diocesan priests and 134 priests who are members of religious orders.[19]
Persecution
The Catholic Church continues to be persecuted. As recently as April 2009 armed men attacked a group of Christians in Taiser Town, near Karachi. They set ablaze six Christian houses and injured three Christians, including an 11-year-old boy, who was in critical condition in the hospital.[20]
The minorities in Swat Valley are fleeing the area as the Taliban have imposed a tax on non-Muslims, the Catholic Bishops' Conference president Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha has said, urging the Pakistani president and prime minister to intervene. The government has recently allowed the imposition of Sharia laws in parts of the North West Frontier Province much to the detriment of non-Muslims.[21]
In 2009, Pakistan is the only country in the world with a "blasphemy law". The constitution also ensures that a non-Muslim cannot become president, prime minister, or any of the 11 senior most government positions in the country.[22]
On 30 July 2009, tensions arose in the Christian village of Korian after pages containing Islamic inscriptions were found in front of a Christian home. Muslims then accused a family there of blasphemy against Islam. On 1 August 2009, a Muslim mob raided a Christian settlement in Gojra, vandalizing and looting houses and causing the deaths of eight people and injuries to many others. Fifty Christian homes were destroyed. Pope Benedict XVI expressed profound sorrow at anti-Christian riots in Pakistan and appealed to everyone to renounce violence and take up again the path of peace. He communicated this message in a telegram to Faisalabad Bishop Joseph Coutts.[23]
St. Thomas' Church, Wah Cantt, was attacked by a group of armed men on 28 March 2011 which resulted in damages. It is believed that the incident was related to the recent episode of the burning of the Quran by Pastor Terry Jones in the U.S.[24]
The situation in Pakistan deteriorated to such an extent that by 2013 large numbers of Christians started to seek asylum overseas.[25][26]
Recognition
Over the years a number of Catholics have been recognized by the Government of Pakistan for their contribution to education, community service, health and public service.
Pfau was the first Christian and first non-Muslim to be given a state funeral in Pakistan.[32]
Sister Gertrude Lemmens FMCK, in recognition of her work for the homeless, the needy and the handicapped, on 23 March 1989 received the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam (Order of the Great Leader), one of the highest honors given to foreign nationals.[33]
Father Francis Nadeem OFM Cap. a parish priest and author from Lahore, was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on Independence Day, 15 August 2000, for outstanding service to the country.[34]
Sister John Berchmans Conway: on 15 February 2012, the President of Pakistan approved conferment of Sitara Quaid-e-Azam on Sister Berchmans for her services towards education and promoting interfaith harmony in Pakistan.[36]
Father Robert McCulloch – On 15 February 2012, the President of Pakistan approved conferment of Sitara Quaid-e-Azam on McCulloch for his services to Pakistan in health and education.[37]
Brother Emmanuel Nicholas – The President of Pakistan conferred the civil award of Tamgha-i-Pakistan (Medal of Pakistan) on Bro. Emmanuel Nicholas in recognition of his outstanding and meritorious services to the education sector in Pakistan.[38]
Norma Fernandes – The Government of Pakistan honoured Mrs. Fernandes on 23 March 2014 with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz for her services to education.[39]
Pakistan Bible Society – In 2013 Pakistan Post issued a commemorative postage stamp on the 150th anniversary of the Pakistan Bible Society.[40]
On 13 June 2020, Bishop Benny Mario Travas inaugurated the St. Peter's CSS Academy in Multan. The Academy has been created to encourage and facilitate Catholics to appear for the Central Superior Services exams that lead to federal public service jobs. This is the first time a concerted effort has been made to promote Catholics into the public service.[42]
On 14 August 2020, Sister Ruth Lewis was posthumously granted the civil award Sitara-i-Imtiaz for her Public Service. She worked at Darul Sukun for more than 50 years.[43]
History of Priestly Service
The Pakistani Catholic Church has a long tradition of service with many Priests who have completed 50 years or more of service in the priesthood:
Akash Bashir, former student of the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Lahore, security guard and martyr. On 31 January 2022 Pope Francis declared him a Servant of God. He is the first native Pakistani candidate for sainthood in the history of the Catholic Church in Pakistan.[59]
Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi D.Litt. (HC), SI, HI was a Pakistani Urdu satirist and humourist. Yousufi also served as the head of several national and international governmental and financial institutions. He received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award in 1999 and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award in 2002, the highest literary honour given by the Government of Pakistan.
Christianity is the third largest religion in Pakistan, making up about 1.27% of the population according to the 2017 Census. Of these, approximately half are Catholic and half Protestant. A small number of Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Oriental Orthodox Christians also live in Pakistan.
St Patrick's High School is a Catholic primary and secondary school located in Saddar Town, Sindh, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded by the Jesuits in 1861, the school is the second-oldest school in Karachi. Since 1950, it has been run by the diocesan clergy of the Archdiocese of Karachi.
Ruth Katherina Martha Pfau, FCM was a German–Pakistani Catholic Christian religious sister and physician who was a member of the "Society of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary". She emigrated from Germany in 1961 and devoted more than 55 years of her life to fighting leprosy in Pakistan. Pfau was honoured with the Hilal-i-Pakistan-, Hilal-i-Imtiaz-, Nishan-i-Quaid-i-Azam-, and the Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam awards.
The Archdiocese of Karachi is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Pakistan. It was erected on 20 May 1948 under as a then-suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Bombay.
Evarist Pinto is the former archbishop of Karachi, Pakistan.
The Christ the King Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town, Karachi, Pakistan; located in adjacent to the Portiuncula Friary. In its early years most of the faculty were provided by the Franciscans. It has been described as "the pioneering theological institution for the Catholic Church in Pakistan."
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lahore is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese in Punjab province, Pakistan.
Joseph Coutts is a Pakistani prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Karachi from 2012 to 2021. He served as Bishop of Faisalabad from 1998 to 2012.
The Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan.
Dar-ul-Sukun (Urdu: دارالسکون) (House of Peace) in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan is a home for physically and mentally disabled children and adults, both men and women in poverty or unable to address their challenges. It has three branches across Karachi. The branch at Kashmir Road cares for almost 150 people. The home has 53 staff members.
The Franciscan Portiuncula Friary is the oldest friary in Pakistan, founded in 1940. It is located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, adjacent to the Christ the King Seminary. It is the Pakistani base of the Order of Friars Minor, a mendicant Catholic religious order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1209.
The National Catholic Institute of Theology (NCIT) is a Catholic theological institute established in Karachi, Pakistan in September 1997. It offers academic courses leading to a diploma in theology, as well as programs for laypeople and religious involved in Church ministries.
St. Anthony's Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi in Pakistan.
John Berchmans Conway, R.J.M., usually known as Sister Berchmans, was an Irish Roman Catholic religious sister and teacher who worked in Pakistan for 60 years. In 2012 she was decorated by the Government of Pakistan for her services in education and promoting interfaith harmony.
Samson Shukardin is the bishop of the Diocese of Hyderabad, Pakistan.
Sharif al Mujahid was a Pakistani journalist, historian, author, and professor.
Francis Nadeem, OFM Cap. was a Capuchin Franciscan priest who worked in the Archdiocese of Lahore in Pakistan.
↑ Kurikilamkatt, James (2005). First Voyage of the Apostle Thomas to India: Ancient Christianity in Bharuch and Taxila. ATF Press. p.140. ISBN978-1-925612-64-6.
1 2 Jose Kalapura, SJ (April 2020). "Centenary History of Patna Jesuit Mission". Patna Ganga Lahar. Jesuit Conference of South Asia: 9–10.
1 2 3 4 5 Thomas, Abraham Vazhayil (1974). Christians in Secular India. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. pp.106–110. ISBN978-0-8386-1021-3.
↑ "Partition Affects Catholic Union of India". Indian Daily Mail. Bangalore. 21 November 1947. A resolution that, in view of the partition of India into two separate Dominions and the result of the Catholic Associations of Sind and Baluchistan—the only associations, in Pakistan affiliated to the Catholic Union—to sever its connection with the Union, the jurisdiction and activities of the Union be confined to the Dominion of India and necessary amendments be made in the Constitution was passed at the Second Annual General Meeting of the Catholic Union of India held at St. Joseph's College Hall, Civil Area, last week. Mr. Ruthnasamy, President of the Union was in the chair.
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