Several mobs attacked Christian communities and set fire to several churches Aug. 16, in the town of Jaranwala, in Pakistan’s Faisalabad district, after two Christians were accused of defiling the Quran.
Several mobs attacked Christian communities and set fire to several churches Aug. 16, in the town of Jaranwala, in Pakistan’s Faisalabad district, after two Christians were accused of defiling the Quran. (photo: Credit: Photo courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need International / Photo courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need International)

Pakistan Violence, the Abortion Pill, Maui Fires and More (Aug. 19)

The Maui fire devastation and a spared Catholic Church, a court ruling reinstating limits on abortion pills, Ohio pro-lifers gearing for an aggressive abortion ballot measure in November, and churches destroyed by a mob in Pakistan — these are some of the news stories that Matthew Bunson and Jeanette De Melo discuss this week in an Editors’ Corner. Then, EWTN News legal analyst Andrea Picciotti-Bayer gives an update on several religious liberty cases making their way through state courts.

Catholics attend Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Lahore, on Aug. 20, 2023, four days after a mob attacked several Pakistani churches over blasphemy allegations. More than 80 Christian homes and 19 churches were vandalized when hundreds rampaged through a Christian neighborhood in Jaranwala in Punjab province last Aug. 16.

Church Responds to Mob Attack on Christians in Pakistan

The mob destroyed electric meters and outdoor air conditioning units, and set the Christians' homes and shop ablaze. Eventually, they brought them out, hurled stones at them, and beat them with sticks. They tried to lynch Masih, who was seriously injured.