Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI on Monday
urged Pakistanis to turn their backs on violence after seven
Christians were killed in bloody riots in the country.
"In the name of God, (the Pope) calls on everyone to
renounce the violence that has caused so much suffering and
start working towards peace," said a telegram from Vatican
Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church was "deeply
saddened to learn of the senseless attack against the
Christian community of Gojra," the remote village in
Pakistan`s Punjab province where the violence occurred, the
message said.
He sent condolences to the families of the victims and
urged Pakistani Christians to build a society where all
communities displayed "mutual respect" towards each other.
The seven Christians were killed when an angry mob of
Muslims torched 40 houses and a church on Saturday in Gojra
which is 160 kilometres west of Lahore.
The violence broke out over the alleged desecration of
the Muslim holy book Koran, which is punishable by death under
blasphemy laws in Pakistan, although no executions have ever
been carried out.
The law was introduced by former military ruler Zia
ul-Haq, who passed tough Islamic legislation and whose rule
from 1977-1988 was seen as a critical point in the development
of extremist Islam in parts of Pakistan.
Bureau Report
