Today's Church is a Church of martyrs, Pope says

April 21, 2015

“The Church today is a Church of martyrs,” Pope Francis told his congregation at daily Mass on April 21.

Reflecting on the day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which recounted the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the Pope said that “the true history of the Church is that of the saints and the martyrs.” He continued:

In these days how many Stephens there are in the world! Let us think of our brothers whose throats were slit on the beach in Libya; let’s think of the young boy who was burnt alive by his companions because he was a Christian; let us think of those migrants thrown from their boat into the open sea by other migrants because they were Christians; let us think – just the day before yesterday – of those Ethiopians assassinated because they were Christians… and of many others. Many others of whom we do not even know and who are suffering in jails because they are Christians.

Pope Francis also mentioned “hidden martyrs: those men and women who are faithful to the voice of the Spirit and who are searching for new ways and paths to help their brothers better love God.” These people, he said, often face the wrath of “so many modern Sanhedrins who think they are the possessors of truth.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope: the Church today is a Church of martyrs (Vatican Radio)