Kamran Chaudhry

Survivors told AsiaNews their stories. Patras Bhatti, a driver who was part of the security detail at the Catholic Church, said the free service they provide is meant "to protect the Church attendants and only God will reward us. Perhaps He saved me to die someday on duty." After the attacks, anti-Taliban demonstrations broke out across Pakistan. Christian schools and colleges will stay closed tomorrow.

Each year, the archdiocese offers its members a number of day-trips to some of the country's places of suffering (and hope): homes for the mentally disabled, orphanages, centres for troubled children, as well as Mariamabad, one of the most beloved Marian shrine in the whole of South Asia. At the Dar ul-Karishma Centre, the Sisters of Charity welcome people with psychiatric problems.