A week after the brutal mob attack on a Pakistani Christian accused of blasphemy, the Pakistani government invited Pope Francis to visit the nation.
Following a June 3 papal audience, Mohsin Naqvi, the nation’s interior minister, said he was “honored to have had an enlightening meeting with Pope Francis. We discussed our shared commitment to promoting peace and interfaith harmony.”
“On behalf of Prime Minister Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, I extended a warm invitation for him to visit Pakistan,” Naqvi continued. “Pope Francis shared a heartfelt message of peace for the people of Pakistan and emphasized the importance of working together for a peaceful future. Such a visit would be a monumental step towards fostering deeper ties and mutual understanding between our communities.”
Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 248 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 97% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim; 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu.