Pakistan's Shabaz Bhatti:

"It is argued that his assassination was a true martyrdom ... "

Father John Leies:

"Shabaz Bhatti, hero of our times"

... he was killed out of hatred for his Catholic faith ...



A snippet from his column in Today's Catholic. Friday, March 25, 2011.

As we're told: "Father John Leies, SM, Std, is president emeritus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas and was formerly head of the Theology Department there..."


"The age of heroes is not over yet.

"A case in point is Shabaz Bhatti, killed in Pakistan on March 2.

"Bhatti was a native of Pakistan who converted as a child to the Catholic Church.

"He was appointed in 2008 as Federal Minister of Minorities for his native land, a position to which he dedicated himself unstintingly.

"A million Catholics live in Pakistan, in four different dioceses.

"This is less than one percent of the population of the country.

"However, according to statistics for 2008, the Church conducts 534 schools, eight colleges, seven technical institutes and eight catechetical centers.

"In 1981 Pope John Paul II visited the country and the president of Pakistan has visited the pope..."


Shabaz Bhatti wasn't cowed by terroristic threats!


"In the midst of all this turmoil in his country, Bhatti continued to fight on behalf of religious minorities, declaring he was not afraid of dying.

"He dismissed his government bodyguards, not sure of their loyalties, and hired private ones.

"He switched sleeping at various homes and places at night.

"But on the morning of this year, as he was coming out of his mother's house in Islamabad, Bhatti was gunned down by a group of men associated with [Al Qaida] and the Taliban.

"Ten thousand people showed up for his funeral at Our Lady of Fatima Church, mostly poor Catholic people.

"Already voices have been raised, calling for the introduction of Bhatti's cause for canonization.

"It is argued that his assassination was a true martyrdom -- he was killed for his Catholic faith.

"Rome is careful to distinguish between killing for political reasons and for religious reasons.

"Certainly politics is intertwined with religion in the case of Bhatti.

"But his declarations offering himself to God, his dedicated life, his deep sense of religious freedom, all these are indications of a man who gave his life for the sake of the Kingdom.

"Let the investigation of his sanctity begin ... "


Good point, Father! :)