Shahbaz bhatti biography of donald

Rome Newsroom, Jan 15, / am

The diocese of Rome will host a memorial Mass on Friday for Servant of God Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic politician in Pakistan assassinated by an Islamic terrorist group 10 years ago.

Bhatti served as Pakistan's Federal Minister of Minorities Affairs from to He advocated for four member seats for religious minority candidates in Pakistan's senate and spoke out against religious persecution, especially the misuse of Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

At the time of his death, he was the only Christian in Pakistan's federal cabinet.

He was gunned down by members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan while driving in Islamabad on March 2, , after receiving death threats for more than a year.

Following his death, Catholic bishops in Pakistan called for the pope to recognize him as a "martyr and patron of religious freedom."

The diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi opened Bhatti's cause for beatification in March Among the testimonies documented was that of Bishop Anthony Lobo, who gave an interview to Fides News Agency shortly before his death in

He said that Bhatti "decided to play an active part in politics in order to protect the country's Christians and other minorities."

"A man of great commitment, he decided not to marry.

Shahbaz bhatti biography of donald The vision, mission and legacy of Shahbaz Bhatti will continue to live forever. Nephew David Bhatti said his uncle Shahbaz showed a charm and sense of humor. There was also reservation, however, because we were well aware of the dangers he would face by accepting this high-profile public position. Trudeau praised Bhatti, saying he "stood courageously for what he believed in.

He lived a life of celibacy. He had no possessions and saw his activity as a service. I believe that Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was a dedicated lay Catholic martyred for his faith."

Religious freedom in Pakistan has worsened in the 10 years since Bhatti's death, according to the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The U.S.

State Department has designated Pakistan as a "country of particular concern" for violating religious freedom since

This week Open Doors' World Watch List ranked Pakistan among the top five countries where Christians face the worst persecution in the world.

See full list on pakpedia.pk In CLF launched the first national campaign against the blasphemy laws. The cardinal said Bhatti's work was consistent with the founding vision of Pakistan as having "equal citizens in a free country, in a democratic country. Shahbaz Bhatti, is pioneer in conceptualizing the formations of Interfaith Harmony Committees. His brother Peter Bhatti stressed the need to work to help people of all religions "live in freedom, peace and equality anywhere in the world" and to save minorities from victimization, intolerance, persecution, and inequality.

When Bhatti took office as Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, he said that he had dedicated his life to the "struggle for human equality, social justice, religious freedom, and to uplift and empower the religious minorities' communities." He added that he accepted the post for the sake of the "oppressed, down-trodden and marginalized."

"Jesus is the nucleus of my life and I want to be His true follower through my actions by sharing the love of God with the poor, oppressed, victimized, needy, and suffering people of Pakistan," he said.

As a member of Pakistan's ministerial cabinet, he supported religious minorities in several ways, including launching a national campaign promoting interfaith relations.

In , he led the organization of a National Interfaith Consultation in Pakistan which resulted in a joint declaration against terrorism.

Before his career in parliament, he founded Pakistan's Christian Liberation Front and the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance movement, which fought against blasphemy laws used to persecute religious minorities, particularly Christians.

Bhatti had begun to receive death threats in , but they increased in  after he showed support for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in Bibi remained on death row until her acquittal by Pakistan's Supreme Court in October

Bhatti was 42 years old when he was killed by gunshots while traveling by car to work in Islamabad.

In a video he recorded before his death, Bhatti had said: "I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause.

I'm living for my community and I will die to defend their rights."

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Pope Francis said in that Bhatti's "sacrifice is bearing rich fruits of hope" in Pakistan.

The pope added: "The words of Jesus apply also to him: 'Unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.'"

Archbishop Gianpiero Palmieri, vice-regent of the diocese of Rome, will offer the memorial Mass for Bhatti at the Church of St.

Bonaventure in Rome on Friday evening. Paul Bhatti, the brother of Shahbaz Bhatti will share his testimony after the Mass.

See full list on pakpedia.pk The assassination of Punjab governor Salman Taseer, another critic of the blasphemy law, took place just a month before Bhatti's death. At the time of his death, the year-old Bhatti was the only Christian in Pakistan's federal cabinet. Not long before his murder, Bhatti asked Wolf and his wife to pray for him. Catholics remember Shahbaz Bhatti 10 years after his assassination in Pakistan.

A collection will be taken at the Mass for a mission school in Pakistan.