From Catholic News Service

Christian convert, thanks Pope for appealing on his behalf

By John Thavis, Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- After fleeing to Italy, an Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting to Christianity thanked Pope Benedict XVI for appealing on his behalf.

"In Kabul they would have killed me, I'm sure of that," Abdul Rahman said after he was granted refugee status in Italy on grounds of religious persecution.

Speaking to a small group of Italian reporters March 30, Rahman thanked a number of people who pressed for his release; the first person he mentioned was the Pope.

Rahman, 41, arrived in Italy from Afghanistan in strict secrecy. He said he intended to stay in the country and find work. In the meantime, he was being cared for by the Italian Interior Ministry, officials said.

Pope Benedict and others had appealed for Rahman's release, urging Afghan authorities to show respect for freedom of religion. The authorities complied, despite demands from Muslim leaders that Rahman be barred from leaving the country.

Rahman told reporters that he had been estranged from his family after his conversion. He left a wife and two children in Afghanistan.

"I am worried for them because they are my children and could have problems on my account," he said.

On March 25, the Vatican said the Pope had urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to see that the case against the convert was dismissed. The Vatican said the Pope's appeal was inspired by "profound human compassion" and by "the firm belief in the dignity of human life and respect for every person's freedom of conscience and religion."

"I am certain, Mr. President, that dropping the case against Mr. Rahman would bestow great honor upon the Afghan people and would raise a chorus of admiration in the international community," said a telegram sent on behalf of the Pope by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state.

"It would then contribute in a most significant way to our common mission to foster mutual understanding and respect among the world's different religions and cultures," it said.

Rahman was jailed after declaring his conversion to police officers, and the Afghan Supreme Court had said he could face the death penalty unless he reverted to Islam. He reportedly became a Christian several years ago, after working for a Christian aid agency in Pakistan.

The case has generated discussion about the extent of religious freedom in Afghanistan, whose government is supported by a strong U.S. military presence. Despite the defeat of the Taliban regime in 2001, Islamic law remains in force, and many Muslim leaders in the country hold strong views about conversion.

Christians are a tiny minority in Afghanistan, numbering only a few thousand. An estimated 99 percent of the population is Muslim.

The Pope spoke about religious freedom at his weekly blessing at the Vatican March 26. He did not name specific countries, but said some governments, while adhering to human rights on paper, in practice impose many restrictions on religious liberty.

He encouraged minority Christian communities in such situations to "persevere in the patience and charity of Christ."

"To all those working in the service of the Gospel in such difficult situations, I want to express my heartfelt solidarity in the name of the entire church and assure you of my daily remembrance in prayer," he said.

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