Pope Francis Prays For Asia Bibi, Pakistani Christian on Death Row for Blasphemy

Pope Francis Prays For Asia Bibi, Pakistani Christian on Death Row for Blasphemy
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries and the ASSIST News Service
VATICAN CITY (ANS – April 15, 2015) -- Pope Francis on Wednesday met with the husband and daughter of Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death over blasphemy charges, the Vatican said.
“I pray for Asia, for you and for all Christians who are suffering,” Francis told Bibi’s husband Ashiq Masih and their 15-year-old daughter, according to the Vatican Insider website.
Mother of five Bibi has been on death row since a row broke out in 2009 with a group of women she was working with in a field. They accused her of insulting the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), a charge she denies.
Soon afterwards, she was jailed and sentenced by a court to death by hanging. Bibi’s death sentence was confirmed in October 2014 by the Lahore High Court.
“Helped by an NGO to travel to Europe, Bibi’s husband and daughter are seeking to rally support for their cause. They want European officials to take up the issue with Islamabad,” said a story in the Pakistan Express Tribune.
“Last November, the EU parliament called on Pakistan to overhaul its blasphemy laws with a view to repealing them, saying they were being used to target Christians and other minorities.”
Bibi is waiting for the final ruling of the Supreme Court. Her case is set to go back to trial in May.
“During the recent Easter celebration, Bibi asked Pope Francis to pray for her. Several months earlier, she had sent him a letter,” added the story. “Pope Francis is widely seen as a champion of the poor and marginalized.”
Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, with even unproven allegations often prompting mob violence.
Bibi’s family are currently in Rome to urge European leaders to put pressure on the Pakistani government to release Bibi. Pakistan’s highest court is reviewing an appeal of the imprisoned woman’s sentence to death by hanging, the final legal step before the sentence can be carried out.
“If the Church will get involved it could be [easier to secure her freedom],” Bibi’s lawyer, Joseph Nadeem, said in an interview with Vatican Radio on Wednesday.
Photo captions: 1) Asia Bibi in jail. 2) Three of Asia Bibi's daughters with a photo of their mother.
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