Persecution

Suicide bombers attack church in Pakistan, killing 9 - AP
The AP reports: "Two suicide bombers struck a church in Pakistan on Sunday, killing nine people and wounding more than 50 others, authorities said, in the first attack on a church claimed by the country’s Islamic State group affiliate. Hundreds of worshippers were attending services ahead of Christmas when the bombers appeared in the city of Quetta and clashed with security forces. One assailant was killed at the church entrance. The other made it inside, said Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister for the southwestern Baluchistan province. [...] It was the first time the Islamic State group has claimed an attack on a church in Pakistan, though Muslim extremists have claimed church attacks in the past."

Comment: Please join me in praying for the church in Pakistan. These brave people live in a country where the majority of their fellow citizens would gladly see them rounded up and forcibly deported. They live in a country where their status as "fellow citizens" matters less than the fact that they are not followers of Islam. Please also join me in praying for those people of good will who do not follow the crowd and are willing to take a stand for justice and tolerance. As this report makes clear, the authorities are not indifferent and are trying to protect Christians who have the freedom to worship according to the Pakistani constitution.