Vatican City, Nov 30, 2018 / 06:59 am
Servant of God Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic politician from Pakistan who was killed in 2011, is a witness of how to act with love in the face of hatred, Pope Francis said Friday.
Speaking to a Pakistani association named for Bhatti, the pope said Nov 30, "may your hallmark always be the one that shines in the testimony of Shahbaz Bhatti and of many other martyrs of our time, namely, humble and courageous faith in the Lord Jesus and the capacity to bring love in place of hatred."
Pope Francis praised the witness of the namesake of the "Shahbaz Bhatti Mission" association, whose cause for sainthood was opened by the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in March 2016.
"I am delighted to know that today [Bhatti] is loved and esteemed by many in Pakistan and that his sacrifice is bearing rich fruits of hope," he said. "The words of Jesus apply also to him: 'Unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.'"