Catholic charities worldwide join Indonesia tsunami relief efforts

April 21, 2021: Catholics mark the second anniversary of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 260 people. / Ruwan Walpola/Shutterstock

Denver Newsroom, Apr 28, 2021 / 14:00 pm (CNA).
Two years after bombings in Sri … […]

Pakistanis protest Nov. 2, 2018, in Lahore, shortly after the nation’s supreme court acquitted Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges. / AMSyed/Shutterstock.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 15, 2023 / 15:02 pm (CNA).

Pakistani lawmakers passed legislation that could land someone a life sentence in prison for insulting any wife, family member, or companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2023, which would set a maximum penalty of life in prison for such offenses with a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, has now passed both houses of Parliament. Under current law, blasphemy violations are only punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine, or both.

To become law, the bill still needs the president’s signature.

Pakistan’s lower legislative chamber, the National Assembly, passed the bill in January and the country’s upper chamber, the Senate, passed it last week on Aug. 7. The goal of this bill, based on its statement of objectives, is to crack down on “blasphemy on the internet and social media,” which has led to “terrorism” and “disruption in the country,” according to the Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn.

The anti-blasphemy law would apply to any person who directly or indirectly “defiles the sacred name” of any wife, family member, or companion of Muhammad through written word, spoken word, visible representation, imputation, innuendo, or insinuation. The companions of Muhammad refer to Muslims who personally met him during his life.

Pakistan already punishes those who defile or insult the Qur’an with life imprisonment. Those who defile the name of Muhammad or other Muslim prophets are punished with death. The Muslim prophets include Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and other biblical figures. 

Human rights groups have raised concerns that the laws could be used to target religious minorities in Pakistan. More than 95% of Pakistan is Muslim, and more than 75% of the country follows Sunni Islam.

From 1987 through the beginning of 2021, more than 1,800 people were charged with blasphemy under the country’s various anti-blasphemy laws. As of March of this year, there were about 40 people who were either serving life sentences or on death row for blasphemy convictions. Since 1990, more than 80 people have been murdered for alleged blasphemy.

In one high-profile case, a Christian woman named Asia Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2010, but her conviction was overturned by the Pakistani Supreme Court in 2018. She denied the allegation that she violated the blasphemy law and ultimately sought refuge in Canada.

“Pakistani governments usually turn to the blasphemy laws when there is a political crisis, and to deflect attention from the country’s continuing economic and social woes,” Paul Marshall, the head of the South and Southeast Asian Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute, told CNA. “The current push to strengthen the laws continues this trend.”

“While half the victims are Muslim, the blasphemy laws disproportionately victimize religious minorities, and repeated studies have shown that they are used as a means of intimidation or score-settling in private disputes,” Marshall said. “The proposed increase in such laws will increase the climate of religious fear that already grips minorities.”

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a human rights group that advocates for religious freedom and against the persecution of Christians, has also come out strongly against the legislation. 

Mervyn Thomas, president of CSW, said the organization is “deeply disappointed” in the passing of the legislation and warned that there is “overwhelming evidence of how the existing blasphemy legislation has resulted in extra-judicial killings and countless incidents of mob violence based on false accusations.” 

“Making the blasphemy laws more stringent could inflame the situation further and is the opposite of what is needed,” Thomas said in his statement.

Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws have been used against Christians and Hindus, who make up less than 5% of the country’s population. The laws related to insulting the companions of Muhammad and some other anti-blasphemy laws have also been used to target minority sects of Islam in the country, such as Shia Muslims, who make up about 15% of the population, and Ahmadi Muslims, who make up less than 3% of the population.

One of the key disagreements that separates Shia Islam from Sunni Islam rests on beliefs about who was the legitimate successor of Muhammad, which leads to accusations against Shia Muslims that they are insulting the companions of Muhammad when they voice their disagreements. The Sunnis recognize Abu Bakr, a companion of Muhammad, as Muhammad’s successor. Many Shia Muslims view him as an illegitimate leader and believe that Muhammad appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib, another companion of Muhammad, as his successor.

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Cebu, Philippines, Oct 25, 2017 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, the late emeritus Archbishop of Cebu, Philippines, will be buried Oct. 26 in the mausoleum at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, alongside the remains of his fellow deceased bishops of Cebu.

Vidal, who died Oct. 18, served as Archbishop of Cebu from 1982-2011, and was named a cardinal in 1985. Alongside Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila, Vidal support the Philippine People Power Revolution of 1986, a series of demonstrations and protests leading to democratic elections in the Philippines. Vidal frequently intervened for peace during the difficult early years of democracy in the Philippines.

Father Francis Lucas, executive director of the Catholic Media Network in the Philippines, recalled that the 1986 democracy movement “was an expression of the Church leadership’s care for the masses of poor and oppressed sector. Cardinal Vidal’s participation as leader showed in his humble quiet manner revealed a staunch heart, a strong faith, and a deep care as a pastor protecting the lives of the Filipinos.”

“His move passed on the strong will to believe that a revolution can be done in a peaceful manner, that God hovers over the faithful, that hope will always result good for the hopeful; a united community of faith can prevail,” Lucas told CNA.

Edwin Lopez, director of EWTN’s Asia-Pacific Region, and a personal friend of Vidal, agreed. Lopez told CNA that Cardinal Vidal was both a national leader, and a personally generous pastor.

“His humility and self effacing humor allowed one to reflect on lessons without being told directly. However, when necessary, he could be very direct and assertive as a loving father and caring teacher. He had a very reassuring presence,” Lopez recalled.

Lopez recalled a time in which he was experiencing a spiritual crisis, and feeling alone. “Then suddenly the phone rang. It was Cardinal Vidal on the other line. It was probably the shortest phone call I had ever received in my lifetime from a prince of the Church, but the most assuring. His words were, ‘Do not lose heart. Have courage. I am praying for you.’”

Once, Lopez recalled, “he met with me in his kitchen while having a hair cut! He always made sure no one was left out.”

Lucas also recalled the cardinal’s pastoral charity. He recalled Vidal’s kindness to him as a young priest. “He loved the priesthood and his priests as a gentle pastor,” Lucas said.

Lucas said that Cardinal Vidal had a personal impact on his life, but also left a lasting mark on the Philippines. He taught that “conflicts can be resolved through peaceful means recall memories of friendship, sacrifice, mettle and good of the many,” Lucas said. He reminded Filipinos to “be strong in your loyalty to God the Church and values in a firm but peaceful stance.”

Lucas encouraged Filipinos to remember Cardinal Vidal’s “humility, gentleness, and firmness in the faith at all costs.” He encouraged Filipinos to honor the cardinal’s memory by “becoming peacemakers and purveyors of hope in this conflict-ridden and seemingly hopeless society.”

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