I had asked for prayers for Fr. George and Fr. Waseem and today I received this. Those of us in America have so much to be thankful for and we take it for granted.

Rose

July 12, 2003


Murder of Fr. George Ibrahim in Renala Khurd, Pakistan

Faisalabad Diocese, Pakistan. July 12, 2003. --- On July 9 in Lahore, Archbishop Lawrence John Saldanha of Lahore said, We are deeply shocked of killing of a Catholic priest and other horrible acts of terrorism in Pakistan.

The president of the Catholic Bishop Conference of Pakistan, Archbishop Saldanha has addressed a press conference to show his concern on murdering Fr. George Ibrahim.

On July 10, on his birthday, a memorial service was held in Khushpur, where he buried.

In the night of July 4, 2003, at about 1:15 a.m. 6 unknown gunmen killed a Catholic priest, Fr. George Ibrahim, 38, of Faisalabad diocese in the parish house of Renala Khurd. Fr. George Ibrahim belonged to a Catholic village, Khushpur district Faisalabad in Punjab province. He had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. One of the sisters is a Dominican nun. He had served the church as a priest for about 10 years.

So far, no one has taken the responsibility for this act. But the local people say that it might be due to the dispute of a denationalized Catholic school. Two years back all the missionary schools in Punjab province along with Renala Khurd� is Catholic school were denationalized. These schools were nationalized by the government in 1972. When the school was denationalized, the Principal of the school (at that time) was not ready to quit the school. She also claimed that the house, which she lived in, was her property. The building of the house was in the school premises. Even she emotionalized the Muslim children of the school against denationalization decision and organized protest marches against the Church authorities. After the court decision, with the help of police, she was forced to leave the school premises. Just a week before of the incident, she left the school building.

The Church circles claimed that she had threatened the parish priest and the Franciscan Sisters of the Renala Khurd. According to the local people (Christian and Muslim both) she (the lady principal) had connections with a militant organization, which was banned by the government in January 2002.

On July 4, after a daylong pastoral work, Fr. George returned to the house at about 12:00 p.m. After taking the supper, he went to bed in the courtyard. Suddenly 6 men jumped from the wall and opened fire on him and 3 bullets hit him. Mr. Parvaiz Masih, Fr. George cook, was present at the spot, so he immediately took him to a nearby clinic, but they refused to see him and asked to take him to the Civil Hospital Okara. On the way to the hospital, Fr. George died. According to Parvaiz, before the gunmen had left, they threatened that will attack on the nuns also.

The only eyewitness of the incident, Parvaiz Masih said that he caught a terrorist, but Fr. George asked him to leave the terrorist and run away. So he hid himself in a room.

The local people (both Christians and Muslims) were shocked and angry. The Church administration tried to control the people. The people were demanding that police should arrest the culprits immediately.

The police first registered an FIR of decoity, while the culprits did not take anything from the house. Later on due to the pressure of political and church leadership, a clause about terrorism was also added.

The police promised the Church leaders that the culprits will be arrested within 2 days, but so far there is no progress.

On July 6, Fr. George was buried in Khushpur, the village known as the birthplace of late Bishop John Joseph.

This is a sad example of how Non-Christians and Protestants treat our brothers around the world. In Pakistan this isn't an isolated incident, there's a system persecution against Christians not only by Muslim miltants but also by the government and the courts, sold to fundamentalism. Christians have no right for a fair judgement in most cases, and they are part of the poorest minorities. (Not so long ago, two Christians, for example, were condemned to death because of "blasphemy against prophet Muhammad").

In Cambodia, the Pagans also attacked a Christian Church:

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=38824

There are other kinds of details, of less importance if you want, but that show this attitudes. In the Scottish Football Leage, a Bulgarian player was suspended for making the sign of the cross after scoring. (This is deeply offensive for the Protestants!)

Dear Snoopers,

Yes, but I don't know if we can call Buddhists "pagans."

Many Buddhist sects don't worship any gods at all, especially the Hinayana variety. For them, the image of the Buddha is a state of mind rather than an object of any worship.

It was in Vietnam that an Anglican cleric discussed the Christian notion of God as contained in the 39 Articles of Religion.

When the Buddhist he was speaking with heard it, he asked if that was official Church dogma.

When told that it was, the Buddhist then was said to have replied, "Then we Buddhists shouldn't have any problems with it . . ."

Fr. Thomas Merton also believed that Buddhism was simply a form of "natural mysticism" and that he himself was going to be "as good a Buddhist as I can."

Buddhists have their militants that attack Christians et al.

In Japan, they made people spit on Crosses to indicate that they were not, in fact, Christians - and this was during the persecutions there.

But the Christians got wise and started to produce Crosses with an image of the Buddha on them - representing Christ Himself in the Lotus position, the true "Enlightener."

The Japanese police then could not force them to spit on such Crosses . . .

Alex

Yes you're definately right. Buddhism is quite an "atheist system" than a religion. I used the wrong word Pagan cause as far as I know, many Buddhists still have spirits and gods and idols, very much like the Hindus.

But in the case of the Hindus, aren't they Pagan? I mean they have too many gods, idols, etc. like the Celts or the Aztecs.

I've always been interested in why westerners have so much respect for Oriental religions and are attracted to them.