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| All Saints Church, Peshawar, Pakistan |
More details on the deadly attack on a Pakistani church over the weekend – the worst attack on Christians in the country’s history – are surfacing today as Christians around the world mourn the tragedy.
A twin suicide bombing at All Saints Church in Peshawar in northern Pakistan on Sunday has claimed the lives of 85 people and injured over 100 more. Among the dead, according to the Diocese of Peshawar, were several children who attended Sunday School and members of the church choir.
A wing of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement: “They are the enemies of Islam, therefore we target them. We will continue our attacks on non-Muslims on Pakistani land.” Keep reading
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Sunday Suicide Bombers Kill More Than 80 at Symbolic Pakistan Church
Anglican Leaders in America, England Express Sorrow at Brutal Pakistan Church Bombing
Anglican leaders from across the globe have expressed sorrow for the victims of the bombing of an Anglican church in Pakistan in which more than 80 worshippers were killed and some 200 more were injured on Sunday.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the 77-million strong Anglican Communion, commented on Twitter about the tragedy at All Saint's Church in Peshawar.
"Peshawar bomb reveals depths of human evil, yet those suffering speak of forgiveness as well as justice. That is the love of Jesus shown," wrote Welby. Keep reading
Church mourns victims of suicide bomb attack in Pakistan
Two suicide bombers attacked a 130-year-old church in the north of Pakistan, killing more than 80 people.
A few hours after the explosion Pakistan's Catholic bishops issued a statement condemning the murders which took place at All Saints Anglican Church yesterday.
In the statement Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi, president of Pakistan Catholic Bishops' Conference, said: "[T]he attacking of innocent men, women and children while praying in the church is a shameful act of cowardice." Keep reading
British Pakistani Christians to protest after Peshawar church bombing
British Pakistani Christians were due to protest in London on Tuesday to express their frustration over the Pakistani government's failure to protect minority Christians.
It comes after Sunday's deadly twin suicide bombing outside All Saints' church in Peshawar in which at least 80 people were killed as they exited from Sunday Mass.
The protest outside the Pakistan High Commission in London was organised by the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) to put pressure on the Pakistani government to ensure Christians are protected.
They were to follow up the protest with the delivery of a petition to 10 Downing Street asking that the UK government step in to help Christians in Pakistan.
Similar protests have been taking place across Pakistan, where only around 1.6 per cent of the population is believed to be Christian. Keep reading
Pakistan Christians Issue Call for Protection
With its Muslim-style minarets topped by a large black cross, the All Saints Church in Peshawar has for more than a century offered a daring architectural expression of Muslim-Christian harmony and cohabitation.
This is how the Taliban destroyed it: two suicide bombers rushed the church doors as worshipers streamed out on Sunday. One attacker exploded his vest inside, the other just outside.
The death toll had risen to 85 by Monday evening, when Christians across the country protested the worst atrocity their community has suffered in Pakistan’s history.
Crowds blocked roads, burned tires and waved wooden crosses as they marched in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. Many shouted demands for government protection, while voicing skepticism about whether Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government could stave off attacks. Mission schools announced they would close for three days. Keep reading
Who are Pakistan's Christians?
The deadly bombing of a church in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar is unprecedented, but not entirely unexpected considerinr/> g the community's history in the country, explains the BBC's M Ilyas Khan.
Until now, Taliban militants have mostly targeted the places of worship for Muslim minority sects in Pakistan such as Shia Muslims and the Ahmadi sect.
But attacks against the Christians are not uncommon. Some of these have been related to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, while others appear to have a political motive.
In recent years the assassination of two high-profile Christian politicians also put the plight of this minority in the spotlight. Keep reading
Help Victims of Deadliest-Ever Attack on Christian Community in Pakistan
Teenager Shalom Nazir’s world was torn apart yesterday (22 September) when his parents and older sister were killed in the deadliest-ever attack on Pakistan’s Christian minority.
They were among at least 83 people who lost their lives in a double suicide bombing at All Saints Church in Peshawar. The attackers struck at the end of the service as around 400 worshippers were greeting each other, leaving a scene of carnage, devastation and heartbreak. Around 131 people were wounded, some of them critically. Many of those killed and injured were children.
Wilson Saraj, Barnabas Fund’s projects manager, is from Pakistan and grew up in All Saints Church. He knows many of the victims and has been in contact with their families; some of his own relatives were injured. Keep reading
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