Pakistani archbishop says bias against Christians has increased

Published: 2006-06-30

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Discrimination against Christians and the desecration of church buildings in Pakistan have increased in the past year, said Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore, Pakistan. Archbishop Saldanha told Catholic News Service June 27 that the "common people" are biased against Christians, who are often the poorest and least-educated people in Pakistan. Christians have become "quite unpopular with the radical Muslims" since the strategic partnership of Pakistan and the United States to fight terrorism, the archbishop said. "We thought we would be good, get some sort of aid" from the partnership, but "it certainly has made it worse" when the increased anti-Christian sentiment is taken into account, said the archbishop. Pakistani church leaders often have said that many Muslims equate Christianity with Western societies. Archbishop Saldanha spoke with CNS in Washington during a two-week trip to the United States.

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