According to Agencia Fides, Afzal Masih, a 42-year-old Catholic rickshaw driver, married and father of four children, was murdered on September 7 while on pilgrimage to the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mariamabad, in the Archdiocese of Lahore.
Masih was traveling with fifteen pilgrims when, in Sheikhupura, 30 kilometers from the destination, several young men on motorcycles approached the minibus causing incidents. During a stop at a gas station, Muhammad Waqas opened fire with a rifle, hitting Afzal in the neck and his 16-year-old cousin Harris Masih in the arm. Afzal was taken to the hospital but died shortly after.
The shooting, motivated by a crucifix
According to statements gathered by El Debate, Paul Jacob Bhatti, president of the Misión Shahbaz Bhatti association, assured that the murder was motivated by religious hatred: «Afzal was murdered by extremist youths who, upon seeing the crucifix he wore around his neck, shot him with a rifle».
Bhatti denounced that this attack reflects the climate of hostility suffered by Christians in Pakistan and demanded justice on behalf of the community.
Reaction of the Church in Pakistan
The rector of the shrine, Father Tariq George, declared to Agencia Fides: «We are dismayed by his death. He was a faithful man who came to pay homage and pray to the Virgin Mary. Today we entrust his soul to the care of the heavenly Mother and express our deepest condolences to his family».
For his part, Father Qaisar Feroz OFM Cap, spokesperson for the Episcopal Conference of Pakistan, recalled that, despite the rains and floods, more than 500,000 faithful attended the shrine between September 5 and 8 for the traditional Marian pilgrimage, where the «Mela Maqaddasa Mariam» was celebrated.
A shrine with more than a century of history
Both Fides and El Debate recalled that Mariamabad was founded in 1893 by Capuchin missionaries and declared a national shrine in 1949. Its Marian grotto, inspired by Lourdes, has become one of the most important centers of devotion in the country, where Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Hindus gather every year to pay homage to the Virgin Mary.
The Christian community of Pakistan has asked that the crime be clarified and that the protection of pilgrims against future attacks be guaranteed.