By JOHN PONTIFEX
LONDON (ACN News) — Innocent people in Pakistan — young and old alike — are now at increased risk of terrorist attack, according to the leader of the country’s Catholics, who has called on the government to step up security in the wake of the Peshawar school massacre.
Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi said that the December 16 incident at the Army Public School was a “revenge attack” against the Pakistan military, and that the Taliban “will stop at nothing now” to harm people.
Speaking on December 17 from Karachi, Archbishop Joseph Coutts, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Pakistan, told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need that the threat to schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, and other public places has grown and that tighter security was crucial.
In a December 17 statement condemning the attack, the prelate called on Pakistan’s 300 or more Catholic schools and colleges to hold prayers and a one-minute silence to remember the 141 people who died.
In his ACN interview, Archbishop Coutts said: “What happened yesterday was a sign of desperation. The Taliban are prepared to carry out brutal attacks, killing schoolchildren, shooting them in the head.
“They will stop at nothing now.”
He went on: “The [security services] should be increasing security in public places. We are dealing here with people who have no conscience. It is just blind hatred.”
Stressing that the attack on Peshawar was the Taliban’s response to Pakistan military offensives in the Khyber region and North Waziristan, regions close to the Afghan border, Archbishop Coutts said: “The Taliban [members] are wanting to show [the military] that they can hit the [army’s] children and all their families. Their message is: ‘We can get you in your own territory’.”
But the archbishop said that the Peshawar massacre was not a sign of the Taliban’s growing military might.
He said: “I don’t think it was a show of strength. It is more likely to be a last-ditch attempt to show what they can do.”
In his statement, the archbishop calls on church communities to “celebrate Christmas in a sober manner as a mark of respect for all victim[s] of terror attacks.”
The statement goes on: “On the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, all Christians must pray fervently for peace.
“It is the duty of every Christian to be a promoter of peace, reconciliation, harmony, and unity . . . work[ing] together with fellow citizens [so] that Pakistan may be free from the scourge of violence and terrorism.”
He appealed to his faithful to pray not only for those killed yesterday but also for other Taliban victims.
In his ACN interview, Archbishop Coutts called on friends and benefactors to pray for Christians and others suffering violence in Pakistan.
He said: “It is very important for us to know that there are others praying for us, wanting to help us, wanting to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in faith.
“In spite of all our difficulties, we find a lot of strength in the prayers of all those who are concerned for us and I thank everybody who is remembering us, especially at this time of great tragedy and sadness.”
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress