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 Pakistan |  Holy See |
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Holy See–Pakistan relations are foreign relations betweenPakistan and theHoly See (Vatican City). Both countries establisheddiplomatic relations in 1961. The Holy See has anunciature in Islamabad. Pakistan's embassy in Switzerland is accredited to the Holy See.
The Holy See's diplomatic contacts with Pakistan are through theSecretariat of State on the one hand and the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the others. Other entities with a special interest are, on the side of the Holy See, theCongregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which oversees the internal organization of theCatholic Church in Pakistan and, on the other hand, the Ministry for Minorities Affairs, which from the government's side overlooks the interests of Christians in Pakistan.
On 1 October 2009,Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, metPope Benedict XVI at his residence inCastelgandolfo and then also met withCardinal Secretary of StateTarcisio Bertone and ArchbishopDominique Mamberti, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States.[1] Earlier contacts at a similar level included that between President Musharraf andPope John Paul II on 30 September 2004.[2] In February 1981, Pope John Paul II met the President of Pakistan during his visit to that country.[3] Minister for Minorities AffairsShahbaz Bhatti met Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Dominique Mamberti at the Apostolic Palace in September 2010 following the2010 Pakistan floods.[4] The President of thePontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, CardinalJean-Louis Tauran visited Pakistan in November 2010 and held meetings with Minister for Religious Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, and the President of PakistanAsif Ali Zardari.[5]
Pope Benedict has called for the scrapping of Pakistan's controversialblasphemy law. Thousands of protesters from various religious parties protested against the Pope's remarks and against any change to the blasphemy law.[6]Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a leader of the religious partyJamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) regarded Pope Benedict's statement as an "interference in Pakistan's internal matters."[7] Whereas the then Pakistan Prime Minister,Yousaf Raza Gillani, stated that the blasphemy law "is our law and we will work according to our law."[8][9]
According to Wikileaks cables, the Holy See viewed Pakistan as "an unreliable coalition player" and doubted the government's willingness and sincerity to effectively take part in counter-terrorism efforts soon after the 9/11 incident. The cables verified an increasingly strained relationship between the Vatican and Pakistan.[10]
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