“We demand justice and protection of Christians from the Government of Pakistan,” Marshall wrote on Twitter Jan. 30.
The Church of Pakistan is part of the Anglican Communion and a member of the World Methodist Council and the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby wrote online that he joined Marshall in “condemning this abhorrent act.”
“I pray for justice and safety for the Christian community in Pakistan,” Welby said.
Christians are a small minority in Pakistan – making up only 1.6% of the population, according to Pew.
But with a Pakistani population of 220.9 million people, this means that there are around 3.5 million Christians the country.
Open Doors includes Pakistan among the top ten worst countries in its World Watch List on the persecution of Christians.
Christians in Pakistan not only face violence, but are also subject to discrimination at a state-level through blasphemy laws, according to the group.
Neighboring Afghanistan was ranked as the most dangerous country for Christians in the world after the takeover of the government by the Taliban.
Father Mushtaq Anjum, a Catholic priest from Pakistan, told Aid to the Church in Need that Christians in his country are under serious threat with the Taliban ruling across the border.
“The threat against them [Christians] has increased, since our government supports the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan,” Fr. Anjum said.
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“I am afraid many Taliban will return to Pakistan and exploit Islamist extremism, pushing Pakistani terror groups to step up attacks,” he said.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.
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