Pakistan’s Christians celebrate Holy Mass amid rubble

JARANWALA, Pakistan — Persecutions against the Christians of Pakistan have been continuing for a long time, the last of which was a deliberate burning of 80 houses and 19 churches in the suburbs of Faisalabad.

This attack forced families to flee the neighborhood, which turned into a pile of rubble.

Four days after the attack, about 200 Christians from the destroyed neighborhood of Jaranwala city in Punjab on Sunday participated in the first Mass held since the extremists destroyed their neighborhood.

The Mass was held at the Church of the Salvation Army. The residents of the destroyed neighborhood sat on chairs placed on a narrow street near the church.

The government has arrested more than 125 people on charges of vandalism, while another 12 people are under investigation for using loudspeakers in a mosque to call Muslims to protest.