EWTN News portal reports on a case of police brutality in Pakistan, where a 22-year-old Christian motorcycle driver, Alyan Johnson, was shot nine times by members of the Dolphin Force anti-crime patrol in Rawalpindi, leaving him critically injured. The incident, which occurred on May 26, 2026, has reignited concerns over the so-called “encounter culture” in Pakistan’s Punjab province, where extrajudicial killings and excessive use of force by police are rampant. While the article presents the facts of the case and quotes various Catholic officials and rights advocates calling for justice, it fails to address the root cause of such violence: the absence of the social reign of Christ the King and the inherent injustice of secular legal systems that claim to protect religious minorities while operating under the guise of modern human rights rhetoric. The article’s reliance on secular human rights discourse and its silence on the supernatural dimension of suffering and justice reveal a profound theological and spiritual impoverishment.
The Illusion of Secular Justice in a Christless Society
The article begins by detailing the harrowing experience of Alyan Johnson, a young Christian man who was shot nine times by police officers in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. According to his family, Johnson had just dropped off a passenger when police arrived in pursuit of a suspected armed man. Despite raising his hands and identifying himself as a ride-hailing driver, the shooting continued, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds and two fractures in his right leg. The family has filed a complaint demanding an impartial investigation, strict action against those responsible, and compensation for the injuries and losses suffered.
While the facts of the case are presented with a degree of journalistic objectivity, the article’s framing is deeply problematic. It relies heavily on the language of secular human rights, quoting Catholic officials and rights advocates who call for “justice,” “equal rights,” and “protection” for religious minorities. Joseph Michael, Johnson’s uncle, is quoted as saying, “We demand justice and imprisonment for the shooters who misused their authority.” Similarly, Raja Abdul Hanif, chairman of the Punjab chief minister’s inspection team, assured the family of justice, stating, “The law is equal for everyone and action will be taken against those involved in the incident following a transparent investigation.”
This reliance on secular legal mechanisms and human rights rhetoric is symptomatic of a broader theological error: the belief that justice can be achieved through human laws and institutions alone, without reference to the divine law and the social reign of Christ the King. As Pope Pius XI taught in his encyclical *Quas Primas*, “When God and Jesus Christ – as we lamented – were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed, because the main reason why some have the right to command and others have the duty to obey was removed. For this reason, the entire human society had to be shaken, because it lacked a stable and strong foundation.”
The article’s silence on the supernatural dimension of justice is glaring. There is no mention of the need for repentance, conversion, or the establishment of Christ’s reign over nations as the ultimate solution to such injustices. Instead, the article places its faith in secular legal mechanisms, which, as history has shown, are inherently flawed and incapable of delivering true justice without the guidance of divine law.
The Failure of “Religious Freedom” Discourse
The article’s reliance on the concept of “religious freedom” is equally problematic. The term “religious freedom” is a modern liberal invention that has been condemned by the Catholic Church as a form of indifferentism. In the *Syllabus of Errors*, Pope Pius IX condemned the proposition that “in the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship” (Proposition 77). Similarly, the proposition that “Catholics may approve of the system of educating youth unconnected with Catholic faith and the power of the Church, and which regards the knowledge of merely natural things, and only, or at least primarily, the ends of earthly social life” (Proposition 48) was also condemned.
The article’s use of the term “religious freedom” without any critical examination of its theological implications is a sign of the pervasive influence of modernist thought within the post-conciliar Church. The concept of “religious freedom” as understood in secular liberal democracies is fundamentally at odds with Catholic teaching, which holds that the Catholic Church is the one true Church of Christ and that the state has a duty to recognize and promote the Catholic faith as the only true religion.
The article quotes Tariq Mehmood Ghouri, coordinator of the Catholic bishops’ National Commission for Justice and Peace in the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Diocese, as saying, “The incident is an eye-opener for those who claim that religious minorities enjoy equal rights and protection in Pakistan.” While this statement may be factually accurate, it fails to address the deeper theological issue: the absence of the social reign of Christ the King in Pakistan and other nations is the root cause of such injustices. Without the establishment of Christ’s reign over nations, no amount of secular legal reforms or human rights advocacy will bring about true justice.
The Symptomatic Silence on the Supernatural
One of the most striking features of the article is its complete silence on the supernatural dimension of suffering and justice. There is no mention of the need for prayer, penance, or the intercession of the saints. There is no reference to the sacraments, the state of grace, or the final judgment. The article’s focus is entirely on the natural level: legal investigations, police training, and operational procedures.
This silence is symptomatic of the modernist mentality that pervades the post-conciliar Church. As Pope St. Pius X warned in *Pascendi Dominici Gregis*, the modernists “proceed to act as if God did not exist, and they make no account of the supernatural order.” The article’s exclusive focus on secular solutions to the problem of police violence is a clear manifestation of this modernist tendency.
The article quotes Ghouri as saying, “For many poor families, motorcycle ride-hailing is one of the few ways to earn a living amid soaring inflation and fuel prices. The state must recognize these realities and act with compassion.” While this statement may be true, it reduces the problem to a purely economic and social issue, ignoring the spiritual dimension of poverty and suffering. The Catholic Church has always taught that true justice cannot be achieved without charity, and that charity is rooted in the love of God. As St. Paul wrote, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
The Need for the Social Reign of Christ the King
The article’s failure to address the root cause of such injustices is a clear indication of the need for the social reign of Christ the King. As Pope Pius XI taught in *Quas Primas*, “If men were ever to recognize Christ’s royal authority over themselves, both privately and publicly, then unheard-of blessings would flow upon the whole society, such as due freedom, order, and tranquility, and concord and peace.”
The establishment of Christ’s reign over nations is not merely a pious aspiration; it is a divine commandment. Our Lord Himself said, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). The Church has always taught that the state has a duty to recognize and promote the Catholic faith as the only true religion, and that the civil authority is subordinate to the spiritual authority of the Church.
The article’s reliance on secular legal mechanisms and human rights rhetoric is a clear sign of the failure of the post-conciliar Church to uphold this teaching. The so-called “religious freedom” advocated by the conciliar sect is a far cry from the true freedom that comes from living under the reign of Christ the King. As Pope Leo XIII taught in his encyclical *Immortale Dei*, “The Almighty, therefore, has given the charge of the human race to two powers, the ecclesiastical and the civil, the one being set over divine, and the other over human, each supreme in its own kind, and each confined within limits which are defined and fixed in accordance with its own nature and special object.”
Conclusion: A Call to Return to Catholic Truth
The shooting of Alyan Johnson in Pakistan is a tragic reminder of the consequences of living in a world that has rejected the social reign of Christ the King. While the article presents the facts of the case and quotes various Catholic officials and rights advocates calling for justice, it fails to address the root cause of such violence: the absence of Christ’s reign over nations and the inherent injustice of secular legal systems.
The article’s reliance on secular human rights discourse and its silence on the supernatural dimension of suffering and justice reveal a profound theological and spiritual impoverishment. The post-conciliar Church’s embrace of modernist concepts such as “religious freedom” and “human rights” has led to a situation where Catholic officials and rights advocates are calling for justice within a secular framework, rather than calling for the establishment of Christ’s reign over nations as the ultimate solution to such injustices.
The only true solution to the problem of police violence and other forms of injustice in Pakistan and around the world is the establishment of the social reign of Christ the King. As Pope Pius XI taught, “Then at last, so many wounds can be healed, then there will be hope that the law will regain its former authority, sweet peace will return again, swords and weapons will fall from hands, when all willingly accept the reign of Christ and obey Him, and every tongue will confess that our Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”
Source:
Pakistan police shooting of Christian driver renews ‘encounter’ concerns (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 02.06.2026