Pope Leo, other Christian leaders pay tribute to 21st-century martyrs
September 15, 2025
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CWN Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV presided at an ecumenical commemoration of 21st-century martyrs at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls on September 14.
“Despite the end of the great dictatorships of the twentieth century, to this day the persecution of Christians has not ended; on the contrary, in some parts of the world it has increased,” Pope Leo preached.
“Just as in the first centuries, so too in the third millennium, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians,” he continued. “We want to keep this memory alive alongside our brothers and sisters of other Churches and Christian Communities. I therefore wish to reaffirm the commitment of the Catholic Church to safeguard the memory of the witnesses of the faith from all Christian traditions.”
During his homily, the Pope cited the witness of Sister Dorothy Stang, Father Ragheed Ganni, and Anglican Brother Francis Tofi.
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