About Pakistan:
Officially named the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, it is one of the world’s most populous nations, with a total population of roughly 240-250 million people. It is the 33rd-largest country by area, spanning 881,913 square kilometres (340,509 square miles), Pakistan is 1.37 times bigger by total area compared to France and slightly larger than the U.S. state of Texas.
Pakistan has a 650-mile (1,046-kilometer) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor in the northwest, and also shares a maritime border with Oman. The largest city is Karachi, while the capitol is Islmabad.
Official Languages spoken here are Urdu (national) and English.
As you can tell by the name, Islam is the main religion (predominantly Sunni, with significant Shia minority). The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but provides that, “Subject to law, public order, and morality, every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion. Unfortunately, such tolerance is often not the case in Pakistan.
Pakistan plays a key strategic role in South Asia and maintains nuclear weapons capability.
History of the Catholic Church in Pakistan:
Tradition holds that Christianity first reached the region in the 1st century AD, when Saint Thomas the Apostle is said to have passed through Taxila (near modern Rawalpindi/Islamabad) en route to India around 19–45 AD, during the reign of King Gondophares.
Some ancient crosses and evidence suggest early Christian presence or travelers along trade routes (e.g., Nestorian or other Eastern Christians in later centuries), but no continuous organized community survived from that time. Substantial Catholic activity began in the 16th century under Mughal Emperor Akbar, when Jesuit missionaries visited Lahore in 1569–1583, though with limited long-term success. A larger church existed in Lahore by 1597, and Akbar issued a declaration in 1604 allowing subjects to embrace Christianity.
The modern Catholic presence took shape in the 19th century during British colonial rule. Capuchin Franciscans and other missionaries extended work from northern India (Agra, Allahabad dioceses) into Punjab and other areas now in Pakistan. Direct mission work expanded from Sialkot in 1889, reaching districts like Gujrat, Jhelum, and Gujranwala.
Churches like Saint Joseph’s in Rawalpindi (1850) and others served British soldiers and local converts, many from lower castes or marginalized groups. After Pakistan’s independence in 1947, the Catholic Church reorganized.
In 1948, the Diocese of Karachi was created (covering Sindh and Baluchistan), raised to an archdiocese in 1950. The territory split from Indian dioceses (e.g., Delhi, Bombay). Lahore became an archdiocese, and further dioceses were established (e.g., Hyderabad in 1958, Faisalabad, Multan, Islamabad-Rawalpindi).
Today, the Catholic Church in Pakistan has two archdioceses (Karachi and Lahore), several dioceses, and one apostolic vicariate, all Latin Rite. It serves roughly 1–1.2 million Catholics (out of roughly 2 million total Christians) in a population over 240 million, where Catholics form a small minority (less than 1%) in a predominantly Muslim country. The Church focuses on education, healthcare, and community service, often facing challenges like discrimination and blasphemy laws, while maintaining a vibrant faith community with strong lay involvement and religious orders.
Catholic places of interest in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
Karachi: several Catholic places of interest.
Youhanabad, Lahore, Pakistan: Grave of Akash Bashir
Traveling to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
Most countries advise against traveling to Pakistan at this time. For example, the U.S. State Department advisory reads:
“Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to armed conflict, terrorism, crime, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk.
Do Not Travel to: Balochistan Province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism and kidnapping“.