The Church of Pakistan has appointed a bishop to oversee pastoral services to Pakistani Christians working in the Middle East.
Bishop Azad Marshall was ordained June 5 in Lahore as the first bishop in the second-largest Christian Church in Pakistan, after the Catholic Church, to be assigned responsibility for an area outside the country.
"This is a remarkable step for the Church of Pakistan. Now (migrant) Pakistani Christians will get their religious needs met," a local pastor told UCA News.
Christians are known to form a large contingent among Pakistanis working in Islamic states in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.
Bishop Marshall began theological studies at Romsey House Theological Training College, University of Cambridge, in England. He holds a master of divinity degree from Gujranwala Theological Seminary in Pakistan.
Among his involvements in Pakistan are the Church Foundation Seminary; IBADAT, an adult literacy and training program for rural and slum dwellers; and a theological and biblical studies program for Church workers.
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