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Emergency Aid for Victims of a Bomb Attack on a Church in Pakistan and for their Families ACN is helping with a contribution of $21,900 for victims of the attacks, those injured and the family members of those who died, as a gesture of solidarity and a message of new hope. On March 15, 2015, two bombs exploded
in Youhanabad, a largely Christian suburb of Lahore. The two bombs exploded
almost simultaneously, one in front of a Catholic Church and one in front of a
Protestant church. It was a Sunday morning and hundreds of people were gathered
together for worship in both churches. There are 35,000 Christians living in
this particular suburb, and there are many Church institutions, for example a
seminary, a technical school run by the Salesian Fathers, and several convents.
Twenty people were killed in the attacks, and eighty were injured. The fact that there were not more deaths in the Catholic church of St. John was due above all to the courageous action of a 20-year-old young man who had volunteered to act as a sentry. He had already noticed the suicide bomber, who was wearing an explosive belt beneath his clothing, outside the church. He succeeded in wrestling him to the ground, whereupon the attacker blew himself up without managing to gain entry to the church. The Catholic youth was also killed, yet he undoubtedly saved many lives, since there were more than 600 people praying inside the church. ACN has now stepped in and is helping with a contribution of $21,900 for all the victims of the attacks, including those who were injured and the family members of those who died. It is intended as a gesture of solidarity, a means of easing the worst of the need and conveying a message of new hope.
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Keeping the Faith Alive
