Lahore, Pakistan, Aug 16, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The “Pastoral Letter on Family Life” published by the Pakistani bishops conference will be presented by Mgr. Lawrence John Saldanha, Archbishop of Lahore, and Mgr. Anthony Lobo, Bishop of Islamabad – Rawalpindi, at the 8th Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) that opens today in Daejeon, South Korea. They will join the other 90 other Asian bishops to discuss “The Asian Family: towards a Culture of Life.”
“It is a great opportunity for bishops from across Asia to interact with one another. It is an experience that cannot but enrich and push us to work and cooperate more closely,” Mgr. Saldanha told AsiaNews yesterday evening.
“We shall submit to the FABC Assembly the ‘Pastoral Letter on Family Life’ we released back at Easter, and shall speak about the discriminatory laws Christians endure in Pakistan,” he said.
Discrimination against Christians in Pakistan is commonplace and the state’s ‘blasphemy laws’ do nothing to discourage it.
The issues touched upon in the letter include major problems of divorce and abortion. “We would like to reaffirm the teaching of the Church that a valid Catholic marriage cannot be dissolved. So we do not accept divorce, even though other religions may allow it.”
“We already have family life commissions in every diocese,” Archbishop Saldanha said, “but we want them to become more active in helping people prepare for married life according to Christian doctrine.”
The bishops have planned to commission married couples who will be trained as counsellors to engaged or married couples on issues such as natural birth control in an attempt to give families more support, education and guidance.
Abortion is the primary method used to limit the growth of families in Pakistan, one the Pakistani bishops can only vehemently speak out against, repeating the Church’s teaching that the killing of unborn children is murder.
There are about 1.3 million Catholics in Pakistan in a population of about 143 million.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.
As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Click hereOur mission is the truth. Join us!
Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth, with fairness, integrity, and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church.
Donate to CNA