Scottish cardinal pays tribute to slain Pakistani Catholic leader

February 27, 2012

Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Edinburgh has praised the slain Pakistani Catholic leader Shahbaz Bhatti as “a truly remarkable hero,” in a statement promoting a rally on the anniversary of Bhatti’s death.

Bhatti, who was Pakistan’s minister for minority affairs, was shot down on March 2, 2011. He had attracted the ire of militant Muslims by calling for changes in the country’s blasphemy laws and defending a Christian woman who was sentenced to death after conviction on a highly questionable blasphemy charge.

Cardinal O’Brien called special attention to a statement that Bhatti made shortly before his death:

I want to share that I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given his own life for us. I know what is the meaning of the cross, and I am following the cross, and I am ready to die for a cause.

The cardinal’s statement was distributed to promote a rally that will be held in London on March 10 in memory of the Pakistani leader.

 

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Further information:

• Cardinal pays tribute to “a truly remarkable hero” (Aid to the Church in Need)