Archbishop's intervention secures asylum reprieve for Christian couple

BY MARK GREAVES
Two CATHOLIC asylum seekers who were about to be deported to Pakistan have been granted a reprieve after the intervention of Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow.
Archbishop Conti urged the Government to stop the expulsion of two Catholics who feared they would be tortured and killed if forced to return to Pakistan.
The archbishop insisted in a letter to John Reid, the Home Secretary, that it would be "morally unjustifiable" to send the couple home.
Christine and Masih Raymond left Pakistan after Masih was tortured and imprisoned for six days because of his faith. The stress of the ordeal caused him to have a stroke.
The couple arrived in Glasgow almost two years ago. On Wednesday night last week they were booked to fly to Pakistan after the Government rejected their appeal for asylum.
But under pressure from Archbishop Conti and Glasgow MP Mohammed Sarwar the Government granted an additional review of the asylum case — and allowed the couple to stay in Glasgow until a final decision is made.
The couple sought refuge at the parish house of St Patrick's Church in Anderston, Glasgow, where Fr Gerry Nugent offered shelter until the threat of extradition had been lifted. Fr Nugent said: "I have known Christine and Masih for nearly two years. I have spent many an hour with this gentle couple and I have listened to their dreadful story. Because of the honor that they have faced I have tried to offer them support in their trauma.
"They came to my home seeking sanctuary. They are terrified, isolated and abandoned and they pleaded with me for a place of safety. With my heart and soul I have no choice but to offer them a place of protection. I am not making any political point. I am a simple parish priest, and when people in need come to my door I cannot turn them away."
Once Archbishop Conti had been informed of the situation he contacted Mohammed Sarwar, the MP for central Glasgow. and wrote a letter to the Home Secretary.
The archbishop said: "I salute Fr Nugent's principled stand and I support him and the Raymond family in their plight. It is morally unjustifiable to return people to a country where they have already been persecuted and are very likely to face further persecution. I am satisfied from internal Church communications and from well-publicised reports that despite Home Office assurances, some Christians in Pakistan have been subjected to arrest and persecution.
"To refuse thcm refuge after two and a half years of peaceful living in this country is outrageous and I fully support Fr Nugent's action.
"I will offer the Raymond family the full support of the archdiocese in their plight and I would ask those involved in their deportation to refrain from any attempt to vio1ate Church property in an attempt to remove them."
According to a report by Aid to the Church in Need, a Catholic charity that supports oppressed Christians, Christians and other minorities in Pakistan have in the last 18 months suffered "the worst spate of persecution" in the country's history.
The charity reports that Catholics have been murdered in Pakistan for refusing to convert to Islam or for allegedly violating copies of the Koran.
In November 2005 about 3,000 people torched three churches, a convent, two Catholic schools, the homes of two priests, a hostel for girls and the homes of many Christians in Sangla Hill, Punjab.
The rioting was sparked by the accusation, which was denied, that a Christian had burned copies of the Koran. At least 450 Christian families fled the town for fear of further violence and did not return for more than two weeks.