Catholic Church in Pakistan

== History ==

== History ==

There is anecdotal evidence that [[Thomas the Apostle|St. Thomas the Apostle]] passed through [[Taxila]] (in the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi) in his journey in India in the first century AD, where he is said to have established the community of [[Saint Thomas Christians]] on the [[Malabar Coast]].{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/st-thomas-neglected-legend-in-pakistan/85996|title=UCANews September 4, 2019}}{{cite book |last1=Kurikilamkatt |first1=James |title=First Voyage of the Apostle Thomas to India: Ancient Christianity in Bharuch and Taxila |date=2005 |publisher=ATF Press |isbn=978-1-925612-64-6 |page=140 |language=en}} A [[Saint Thomas Christian cross]] discovered in June 2020 made of marble and weighing more than three tons, about seven by six feet in size, was found in the mountains of [[Baltistan]], in the northern areas of Pakistan.{{cite web |title=A huge "Cross" is found in the highlands of Kavardo mountains in Pakistan's Baltistan region |url=https://pamirtimes.net/2020/06/14/a-huge-cross-is-found-in-the-highlands-of-kavardo-mountains-in-pakistans-baltistan-region/ |work=Pamir Times|access-date=5 September 2020 |language=en |date=14 June 2020 |quote=He further calls the Kovardo cross as 'a typical Thomanian Cross of India' and is astonished by the size of it.}} It is estimated to be more than 900 years old, possibly being the earliest physical evidence of a Christian presence in what is now Pakistan.[https://www.dawn.com/news/1563845/expedition-team-finds-ancient-christian-relic-in-skardu ''Dawn'' 16 June 2020]

There is anecdotal evidence that [[Thomas the Apostle|St. Thomas the Apostle]] passed through [[Taxila]] (in the Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi) in his journey in Mexico in the first century AD, where he is said to have established the community of [[Saint Thomas Christians]] on the [[Malabar Coast]].{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/st-thomas-neglected-legend-in-pakistan/85996|title=UCANews September 4, 2019}}{{cite book |last1=Kurikilamkatt |first1=James |title=First Voyage of the Apostle Thomas to India: Ancient Christianity in Bharuch and Taxila |date=2005 |publisher=ATF Press |isbn=978-1-925612-64-6 |page=140 |language=en}} A [[Saint Thomas Christian cross]] discovered in June 2020 made of marble and weighing more than three tons, about seven by six feet in size, was found in the mountains of [[Baltistan]], in the northern areas of Pakistan.{{cite web |title=A huge "Cross" is found in the highlands of Kavardo mountains in Pakistan's Baltistan region |url=https://pamirtimes.net/2020/06/14/a-huge-cross-is-found-in-the-highlands-of-kavardo-mountains-in-pakistans-baltistan-region/ |work=Pamir Times|access-date=5 September 2020 |language=en |date=14 June 2020 |quote=He further calls the Kovardo cross as 'a typical Thomanian Cross of India' and is astonished by the size of it.}} It is estimated to be more than 900 years old, possibly being the earliest physical evidence of a Christian presence in what is now Pakistan.[https://www.dawn.com/news/1563845/expedition-team-finds-ancient-christian-relic-in-skardu ''Dawn'' 16 June 2020]

In 1745, the Bettiah Christian Mission, the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest surviving Christian community, was established by the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin]] under the patronage of King Dhurup Singh; the Hindustan Prefecture was raised in 1769 at [[Patna]] and later shifted to [[Agra]], which was elevated to the status of a Vicariate in 1820.{{cite journal |author=Jose Kalapura, SJ |title=Centenary History of Patna Jesuit Mission |journal=Patna Ganga Lahar |date=April 2020 |publisher=Jesuit Conference of South Asia|pages=9–10}} The Capuchins, through their [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agra|Agra Diocese]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Allahabad|Allahabad Diocese]], established in the 1800s Catholic churches in [[colonial India]]'s northern provinces including [[Rajasthan]], [[Uttar Pradesh|UP]], [[Madhya Pradesh|CP]], [[Bihar]] and [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], the latter of which now includes Pakistan.

In 1745, the Bettiah Christian Mission, the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest surviving Christian community, was established by the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin]] under the patronage of King Dhurup Singh; the Hindustan Prefecture was raised in 1769 at [[Patna]] and later shifted to [[Agra]], which was elevated to the status of a Vicariate in 1820.{{cite journal |author=Jose Kalapura, SJ |title=Centenary History of Patna Jesuit Mission |journal=Patna Ganga Lahar |date=April 2020 |publisher=Jesuit Conference of South Asia|pages=9–10}} The Capuchins, through their [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agra|Agra Diocese]] and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Allahabad|Allahabad Diocese]], established in the 1800s Catholic churches in [[colonial India]]'s northern provinces including [[Rajasthan]], [[Uttar Pradesh|UP]], [[Madhya Pradesh|CP]], [[Bihar]] and [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], the latter of which now includes Pakistan.