Sukkur: Rebuilding Saint Mary's Church

In February 2006, Saint Mary’s Church in Sukkur, south-east Pakistan, was no more than a charred shell.

It had been torched by a mob of thousands of extremists who descended on the Christian quarter, enraged by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which had been published in newspapers in the West.

They ripped out and burnt pews and statues, and tried to force open the tabernacle, only for the handle to break off in their hands.

After endless delays awaiting compensation from the government, Bishop Max Rodrigues of Hyderabad turned to Aid to the Church in Need.

Now, thanks to you, the church has once more been rebuilt and enlarged for a growing congregation who are defying increasing intolerance towards Christians to proclaim their faith.

In this recording, Marie Ange Siebrecht, who travelled to Sukkur in 2006 and 2010 in her role as Aid to the Church in Need’s Head of Projects for Asia/Africa, reflects on the remarkable resurrection of Saint Mary’s.

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 “I am most grateful to Aid to the Church in need for its strong human, moral and financial support for our aggrieved Sukkur people and church when they needed it most.”

– Bishop Max Rodrigues of Hyderabad, Pakistan