ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH
Saints celebrated on the 2nd of March
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SERVANT OF GOD CLEMENT SHAHBAZ BHATTI, POLITICIAN
Servant of God Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was born on September 9, 1968 to a devout Catholic family in Lahore, Pakistan. As an altar boy, he had travelled with priests who celebrated Mass in nearby villages, giving him the opportunity to witness firsthand how Christians consigned to second-class citizenship lived. Upon hearing a Good Friday sermon, at the age of 13, he found his calling as an activist for the dignity of religious minorities in Pakistan. This was during a time when Pakistan’s Islamic blasphemy laws (which were theoretically designed for the benefit of all recognised religions, but in practice benefit only one) were becoming ever stricter under the presidency of General Zia-ul Haq. As an adult, he became a politician. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 2008 for the Pakistan People's Party. Bhatti became the only Christian member of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's Cabinet on November 2.
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was appointed as first Christian Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs on November 2, 2008, when, for the first time, the post was elevated to cabinet level and an independent ministry created. At the time, he said that he accepted the post for the sake of the "oppressed, down-trodden and marginalized" of Pakistan, and that he had dedicated his life to the "struggle for human equality, social justice, religious freedom, and to uplift and empower religious minorities' communities." He added that he wanted to send "a message of hope to the people living a life of disappointment, disillusionment and despair", and also stated his commitment to reforming the country's Islamic blasphemy laws.
Clement Shahbaz Bhatti had been the recipient of death threats since 2009, when he spoke in support of Pakistani Christians attacked in the 2009 Gojra riots in Punjab Province. These threats increased following his support for Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian sentenced to death in 2010 for blasphemy. The United States had tried to obtain increased security for him and get him an armoured car but was unsuccessful. Clement Shahbaz Bhatti himself foretold his death and recorded a video, which was to be released in case of his death, where he 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."
"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 also said.
On March 2, 2011 (according to the BBC), Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was travelling to work through a residential district, having just left his mother's home, when his vehicle was sprayed with bullets. At the time of the attack he was alone, without any security. His driver reports having stopped the car and ducked when he saw armed men approaching rather than attempting to evade the threat. Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was taken to a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival. The leader of Pakistani Taliban Asmatullah Muiawiya told the BBC that his group carried out the attack because Bhatti was "blasphemous". Leaders of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Spain, UK, USA, and the Vatican expressed their shock and condemnation of his killing.
On the first anniversary of his death Pakistani Catholic priests called for the Pakistani Catholic bishops to open the cause of canonisation for Clement Shahbaz Bhatti. The Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi opened it; and Pakistani bishops sent a formal request to the Pope to officially name Clement Shahbaz Bhatti a martyr. Clement Shahbaz Bhatti's canonisation is also supported by Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who has said that he could be patron of "Justice and Peace in Pakistan or even Asia". The Bible owned by Clement Shahbaz Bhatti was placed in San Bartolomeo all'Isola as a relic of a 21st-century martyr, part of the memorial to 20th- and 21st-century martyrs. Clement Shahbaz Bhatti is currently a "Servant of God" in the Catholic Church.
Sources: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/246114/catholics-remember-shahbaz-bhatti-10-years-after-his-assassination-in-pakistan - https://www.ncregister.com/blog/shahbaz-bhatti-10-years - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahbaz_Bhatti -https://www.christianitytoday.com/2021/03/shahbaz-bhatti-pakistan-asia-bibi-religious-freedom-advocac/
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