Archbishop Emeritus Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore said in a statement released yesterday that he sees a bleak future for Christians in the diocese on the eve of the 125th anniversary of the archdiocese.

The prelate expressed concern for “a small minority of just one percent” of Christians in the area.

“For 10 years I tried my best to be a herald of hope in a time when religious minorities were threatened by extremists and had to face violence. But what of the future? Things are not very bright or hopeful,” he said in the statement.

“The situation has totally changed from earlier days. The Christian churches face growing pressures and dangers. We are now experiencing opposition and persecution from an extremist mindset which has no respect or tolerance for other faiths.”

The archbishop also addressed “the cruel killing of the federal minister of minorities Shabhaz Bhatti” in March – for his views on the country’s blasphemy laws, he said.

Despite reports that suggested the killing was the result of a family feud, Islamabad’s most senior police officer told a Senate panel last week that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was responsible for the death of the Catholic minister.

“The blasphemy law has been abused and has brought a lot of misery and suffering to our people. The murder has deeply disturbed and demoralized the Christian community, which feels insecure and afraid.”

He ended the message by urging Christians to endure with patience and take courage from prayers, the Bible and Mass.

“Education is their only hope of survival as self-respecting people. So they must make sacrifices to educate the future generation.”

Lahore city had only two Catholic churches when Pope Leo XII gave it the status of an independent diocese.

It later expanded into four dioceses including Jullundur (present Jalandhar) in neighboring India.

Lahore has an estimated Catholic population of about 370,000.

An archdiocesan committee is expected to meet next week to plan year-long activities to commemorate the founding of the archdiocese.

Related reports:

Archdiocese ‘needs new prelate’
Church bids farewell to former head