"Being homosexual isn't a crime," the pope reportedly said during an interview with The Associated Press in January adding that God loves all his children just as they are.

He further called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) people into the church.

However, Pastor Jamil Nasir, the Canada-based national head of the Church of Pentecost in a video titled "Fatwa [religious edict] by Pope Francis" wondered if the pope was promoting homosexuality.

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In an interfaith press conference held on 24 October, Sebastian Shaw of Lahore congratulated the whole nation. He hoped the development would help steer the country out of the multiple crises it was facing.

"It's a fruit of our coordination with leaders of different faiths in addressing the hate and extremism at ground level. It's a combined effort," Archbishop Shaw said.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international money-laundering watchdog, had put Pakistan on its so-called grey list in June 2018, after Islamabad failed to implement policies aimed at stamping out money laundering and the financing of international terror groups.

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The Catholic Bishop's National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) expressed its concerns about the Islamic content in textbooks under the country's Single National Curriculum (SNC) at a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on July 20.

"Religious minorities demand textbooks devoid of hate material," said Kashif Aslam, the NCJP deputy director, while seeking its withdrawal. "The education policy and curriculum should be in line with national and international human rights frameworks."

He further pointed out that the SNC doesn't carry the required national consensus and clearly violates the rights of the provinces granted by the 18th constitutional amendment that devolves the subject of education to the provinces.

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The Save Karachi Movement, a group of lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists and minority activists, confirmed the demolition of St. Joseph Church on its Twitter account. It was part of a larger demolition plan to prevent flooding, government officials said.

Ucanews.com reported the Save Karachi Movement said the anti-encroachment squad of the Sindh provincial government tore down the building, despite protests from the Christian community.

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