Martyrs

Pope at Mass: life has value only when given

In his homily at Mass, Friday morning, Pope Francis drew lesson from the martyrdom of John the Baptist and the other characters involved in it. According to Jesus, the martyrdom of John, the greatest man born of a woman, is a great witness to the fact that life has value only in giving it to others [...]

‘A Church without martyrs breeds distrust’

On the second anniversary of the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed in 1980 by military squadrons linked to the Regime in San Salvador as he defended the poor, Pope Francis recalled Romero’s religious fervor and passion for justice while warning the faithful against a ‘lukewarm’ Church. The Pope was speaking during Mass at [...]

When martyrs don’t make the news

Pope Francis offered Mass on Monday, 30 January, in the Casa Santa Marta chapel for “today’s martyrs”, persecuted and imprisoned Christians, and for Churches which are not free to express the faith. With the understanding that “a Church without martyrs is a Church without Jesus”, the Pontiff stressed that these martyrs sustain the Church and carry [...]

Living blood

The Church needs the witness of martyrs, of “consistent” Christians who “live their life in earnest”. In his reflection during Mass at Santa Marta on Thursday morning, 7 April, Pope Francis pondered the vital lymph of the Church, the “living blood” which carries her forth day by day: testimony. The meditation was inspired by the liturgy [...]

“Today the Church is the Church of martyrs”

“Today the Church is the Church of martyrs”. And among these martyrs are “our brothers whose throats were cut on the beach of Libya; that young man burned alive by companions for being a Christian; those immigrants on the high seas thrown overboard for being Christians; those Ethiopians assassinated for being Christians”. In the chapel of [...]

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