Pakistan: The types of organizations/denominations that make up the Church of Pakistan and whether or not it has a Peace and Development outreach program

According to The Europa World Year Book 1999, which lists the Church of Pakistan under the heading "Protestant Churches, the Church of Pakistan was founded in 1970 by the union of the fmr [former?] Anglican Church in Pakistan, the United Methodist Church in Pakistan, the United Church in Pakistan (Scots Presbyterians) and the Pakistani Lutheran Church (1999, 2749). Pakistan: A Travel Survival Kit states that all Protestants except the Presbyterians have amalgamated into the Church of Pakistan (King et St. Vincent 1993, 44). The Church of Pakistan comprises eight dioceses and in 1993, had approximately 700,000 members (Europa 1999 1999, 2749). It is located at 17 Warris Road, POB 2319, Lahore 3, Punjab, and the Right Reverend Samuel Azariah, Bishop of Raiwind, is its moderator (ibid.). Although the Research Directorate contacted the Church of Pakistan, a response has not yet been received.

In a 30 September 1999 e-mail the Director of the English Sector of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP, also known as Development and Peace, D & P) in Toronto stated that D & P

programs in Asia are through the Asia Partnership for Human Development, a coalition of church groups working in Asia, to whom we give block grants. We have no independent programs in the Indian Sub continent although we do have a few small CCODP programs in addition to the APHD in East Timor, the Philippines and Indonesia.

According to the Development and Peace Internet site, D & P is a "democratic movement for international solidarity, supports partners in the Third World in the pursuit of alternatives to unjust social, political and economic structures, … educates the Canadian population about the causes of impoverishment of peoples and mobilizes actions for change, … supports women in their search for social and economic justice" (n.d.). Founded over 30 years ago by Canada's Catholic bishops, D & P is "one of Canada's leading international development agencies" that is supported by individual donations and government grants, especially from CIDA (ibid.). D & P does not employ staff outside Canada, and its funds sent abroad are used to "support grassroots organizations run by people who know firsthand the issues facing the developing world. These overseas partners help us determine the nature of our agency's involvement abroad. Since our inception we have funded more than 11,000 projects world-wide (ibid.).

Additional and/or corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Development and Peace, Toronto. 30 September 1999. Correspondence from the Director of the English Sector.

Development and Peace. n.d. Website . [Accessed 29 Sept. 1999]

The Europa World Year Book 1999. 1999. 40^th  ed. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications Ltd.

King, John and David St. Vincent. 1993. 4^th ed. Pakistan: A Travel Survival Kit. Hawthorn, Vic.: Lonely Planet.

Additional Sources Consulted

Christianity in Pakistan Website.

Development and Peace Foundation Website.

World Council of Churches Website.

Electronic sources: Internet.

Non-documentary sources:

- The Church of Pakistan, Lahore.