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The 140-foot cross stands at the entrance of a Christian cemetery in the center of the city. It's being built by Parvez Henry Gill, a Pakistani businessman who said the idea came to him in a dream.
"I want to show the world the Christian community in Pakistan has religious freedom," Gill said.
While some have criticized the cross, Gill said he "leaves that to God."
Pakistani Christians have faced church bombings and other attacks by Islamic terrorists.
In March, Taliban suicide bombers killed 15 people and injured nearly 80 others in the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan. The group's spokesman vowed bombing attacks would continue until the government implements Sharia law.
In 2013, 80 people died when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives cache at the All Saints Church in the northern city of Peshwar.
The Christian community in Pakistan is in mourning Monday following Islamic attacks on two churches that left 14 people dead and more than 70 injured.
Christians gathered in protest throughout Pakistan as their tiny minority community prepared to bury the dead.
On Sunday, suicide bombers blew themselves up near two churches in the city of Lahore as Christians gathered for worship. The blasts occurred in quick succession in a Christian neighborhood known as Youhanabad.
Joseph Francis survived one of the bombings. He said the first blast occurred at a Catholic church where security was tight.
"Second attack was the Church of Pakistan, Christ Church, and two person is arrested at the moment," he said. "[They are] Pathan (Pashtun), so many people is injured. Personally, three dead bodies I can see in the Church of Pakistan (Christ Church). Mostly people is injured."
Christians took to the streets immediately after the bombings, demanding justice and an end to the targeting of their communities.
"We demand the government to provide protection to all places of worship of all religions, including Muslim prayer places," Father Bernard Yousus Bhatti, a local Christian community leader, said.
"In Pakistan, minorities are insecure and we want security. We are well wishers of Pakistan and loyal to the country," he added.
But instead of awaiting legal justice, some of the angry Pakistani protesters took matters into their own hands, burning to death one of the suspected bombing accomplices and reportedly killing another.
A faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the church attacks. Meanwhile, a police investigation continues.
Jewish tradition encourages us to recite 100 blessings a day. Learn more about this tradition, and how to develop an “attitude of gratitude” in your own life.
A group of Christian Arabs protested last week in Pakistan for the right to visit Christian holy sites in Israel, which is forbidden under Pakistani law.
A beautiful sunset over Lake Kinneret by Boruch Len. The Kinneret, or Sea of Galilee, is Israel’s largest fresh water reservoir and most important source of drinking water. No wonder that winter rain forecasts and water levels grab the nation's attention and often reflect the national spirit.
Yesterday's photo featured the Roman Theatre of Caesarea. Built during the period of Herod in the Second Temple times, it was only recently uncovered in the 1950's. It stands as the oldest theatre discovered in Israel.
Our prayer forum is a wonderful opportunity for readers around the world to connect with one another through the power of prayer. Please feel free to submit a personal prayer request, and tell us where you're from!
Persecuted Christian Asia Bibi's Appeal Hearing Delayed for Third Time
Appeal proceedings have been delayed again in the case of Asia Bibi, the Christian mother of five sentenced to death for blasphemy.
Lahore high court judges Sardar Tariq Masood and Abdul Sami Khan adjourned the case shortly after the hearing began and arguments were presented.
Court sources say that a new date for the appeal is expected tomorrow in a case that has dragged on without any progress for quite some time.
For several months, extremist groups have been making threats against the judges in order to pressure them to confirm the death penalty imposed by the lower court.
However, the woman's lawyers say they remain confident and hopeful that the high court will soon overturn her conviction and let her go.
In recent days, Pakistani Christians have promoted days of fasting and prayer on behalf of Asia Bibi and Sawan Masih, both of whom are innocent but sentenced to death under the infamous "black law."
Asia Bibi, who has been on death row since November 2010 and held under solitary confinement on security grounds, has become a symbol of the fight against blasphemy.
Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer and Federal Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic, were killed in 2011 for coming to her defense.
Masih, a 26-year-old Christian from Lahore, was convicted recently by a lower court on false charges as a result of a personal dispute with the person who reported him.
It is sad "to see how the situation in Pakistan is getting worse by the day, not only for minorities, but especially for women and girls," Father James Chand, from the Archdiocese of Lahore, told AsiaNews.
"Let us continue to pray for Asia Bibi and Sawan Masih," he added.
Father Arthur Nat, a priest from Central Punjab, joined Chand's appeal, calling for "a day of fasting and prayer on Wednesday."
Meanwhile, a new case of child sexual assault has been reported. On Sunday, a 12-year-old girl was raped by an Islamic cleric in a Punjab mosque.
Witnesses say the imam sent students home, asking the girl to stay. He then assaulted her with the help of four boys.
The girl's family plans to report the crime, but it appears the religious leader has already fled the area without leaving a trace.
Click here to read this article on persecution.org from CHARISMA NEWS.
