St. Dominic’s Church, Bahawalpur
Encyclopedia
St. Dominic’s Church, Bahawalpur is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan
in Pakistan
. On October 28, 2001 four gunmen entered the Church and opened fire and mercilessly killed 15 worshippers and a police guard.
On October 30, the people of St. Dominic's Church buried their dead. Women, many of them survivors of Sunday's massacre, wept over white shrouded coffins, each with a simple cross painted in red. The attack was the first massacre in the history of Pakistan's small Christian community.
In a Pastoral Letter, the Roman Catholic Bishops of Pakistan have strongly condemn the act of terrorism in Bahawalpur
during the Sunday service. Together with the Bishops of the Church of Pakistan
, they called for a Memorial Services for the Martyrs of Bahawalpur.
The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II
has sent a Special Envoy, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, to show his concern for the welfare of all the people and offering his prayers for peace in this region. Messages were also received from the President of Pakistan
, cabinet ministers, civil and military officials and concerned Muslim citizens.
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf
has also condemned the killings and urged police to trace the culprits and make arrests. Meanwhile police have made arrests in connection with the October 29 killing of the worshippers.
The church of St. Dominic was built in 1962. The parish is also home to a convent, St. Dominic's Middle School for boys and the Dominican Convent School for girls. In Bahawalpur there are some 2,000 Catholic families and about 250 Church of Pakistan families. The Church of Pakistan community has no place of worship of their own, so they were offered the use of the building of St. Dominic's Church for their Sunday morning services.
Bishop Andrew Francis
of Multan reconsecrated St. Dominic's Church on November 15, 2001.
Church leaders at St. Dominic parish have demanded that police arrest two men reportedly involved in a series of sexual assaults on poor women in the community. Dominican Fathers Rocus Patras and Rehmat Raja, and Church social worker Samuel Masih made the demand and spoke about the case during a press conference on September 25, 2003. Father Patras was the parish priest at the time.
Father Zafar Iqbal, the first Pakistani Dominican priest, was the parish priest of St. Dominic's Church until his death from a motorcycle accident on 19 February 2009.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Multan is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan....
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. On October 28, 2001 four gunmen entered the Church and opened fire and mercilessly killed 15 worshippers and a police guard.
On October 30, the people of St. Dominic's Church buried their dead. Women, many of them survivors of Sunday's massacre, wept over white shrouded coffins, each with a simple cross painted in red. The attack was the first massacre in the history of Pakistan's small Christian community.
In a Pastoral Letter, the Roman Catholic Bishops of Pakistan have strongly condemn the act of terrorism in Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur , located in the province of Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs and counted as part of the Rajputana states...
during the Sunday service. Together with the Bishops of the Church of Pakistan
Church of Pakistan
The Church of Pakistan is a united church in Pakistan, which is part of the Anglican Communion and a member church of the World Methodist Council. It was established in 1970 with a union of Anglicans, Scottish Presbyterians , Methodists, and Lutherans. It is the only United Church in the South...
, they called for a Memorial Services for the Martyrs of Bahawalpur.
The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
has sent a Special Envoy, Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, to show his concern for the welfare of all the people and offering his prayers for peace in this region. Messages were also received from the President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
, cabinet ministers, civil and military officials and concerned Muslim citizens.
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
has also condemned the killings and urged police to trace the culprits and make arrests. Meanwhile police have made arrests in connection with the October 29 killing of the worshippers.
The church of St. Dominic was built in 1962. The parish is also home to a convent, St. Dominic's Middle School for boys and the Dominican Convent School for girls. In Bahawalpur there are some 2,000 Catholic families and about 250 Church of Pakistan families. The Church of Pakistan community has no place of worship of their own, so they were offered the use of the building of St. Dominic's Church for their Sunday morning services.
Bishop Andrew Francis
Andrew Francis
Andrew Francis is an actor and voice artist from Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in many television shows including Poltergeist, Dark Angel, Twilight Zone, The L Word, Smallville and Kyle XY...
of Multan reconsecrated St. Dominic's Church on November 15, 2001.
Church leaders at St. Dominic parish have demanded that police arrest two men reportedly involved in a series of sexual assaults on poor women in the community. Dominican Fathers Rocus Patras and Rehmat Raja, and Church social worker Samuel Masih made the demand and spoke about the case during a press conference on September 25, 2003. Father Patras was the parish priest at the time.
Father Zafar Iqbal, the first Pakistani Dominican priest, was the parish priest of St. Dominic's Church until his death from a motorcycle accident on 19 February 2009.