(4 August 2017) The generosity of a rich anonymous philanthropist from the North of Italy has lead to the construction of a church in Pakistan near Faisalabad in the settlement of Faisal Town, a small predominantly Muslim centre where 35 Christian families have recently moved to. They work in brick factories and are very poor. “These families absolutely need a church” as the parishioner of Faisal town, Father Emmanuel Parvez explains to the ‘Amici della Chiesa che Soffre’ (a non profit association that assists Christians). “The Muslim workers have three mosques which they can use for prayer, whereas Christians have no place to worship”. The Parishioner, who is also the uncle of Shahbaz Bhatti the minister for the Pakistani minorities who was brutally assassinated in 2011, is certain that the church will give the Christian community strength, unity, and an identity by helping them cope with their living conditions. “The spiritual life of this small Christian community can now improve thanks to a generous philanthropist who wished to express his devotion to Saint Joseph in a concrete way, thinking of our poor and oppressed brothers in Pakistan. It is this devotion that transforms itself into generosity and that can change someone’s life”.
