Shahbaz Bhatti – a modern martyr

Shahbaz Bhatti, a modern martyr from Pakistan

Pope Francis recently highlighted the life of Servant of God Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic politician from Pakistan who was killed in 2011, who was a witness of how to act with love in the face of hatred. His cause for sainthood was opened by the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi in March 2016. Bhatti is loved and esteemed by many in Pakistan and his sacrifice is bearing rich fruits of hope. The Pope recalls Jesus’ words: ‘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.’ Bhatti served as Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs from 2008 until his assassination while traveling by car to work on March 2, 2011, in Islamabad. He was 42 and was at the time the only Christian member of Pakistan’s cabinet. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Bhatti’s death, declaring him a “blasphemer of Muhammad,” because of his Christian faith.
When he took office as Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Bhatti said he had dedicated his life to the “struggle for human equality, social justice, religious freedom, and to uplift and empower the religious minorities’ communities,” and that he accepted the post for the sake of the “oppressed, down-trodden and marginalized.” “Jesus is the nucleus of my life and I want to be His true follower through my actions by sharing the love of God with the poor, oppressed, victimized, needy and suffering people of Pakistan,” he said. As a member of Pakistan’s ministerial cabinet, he supported religious minorities in several ways, including launching a national campaign promoting interfaith relations. In 2010 he led the organization of a National Interfaith Consultation in Pakistan which resulted in a joint declaration against terrorism. Prior to his career in parliament, in 1985 he founded Pakistan’s Christian Liberation Front and in 2002 the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance movement, which fought against blasphemy laws used to persecute religious minorities, particularly Christians. In a video he recorded before his death, Bhatti had said, “I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause. I’m living for my community … and I will die to defend their rights.”