Sixty members of the Vincentian Order who were martyred during the Spanish Civil War will be beatified at a Mass in Madrid next Saturday in a “celebration of hope, faith and forgiveness.” Read more
Posts Tagged ‘martyrs’
26 year-old Filipino Jesuit on the road to sainthood
Monday, August 7th, 2017
Brother Richie Fernando was a 26 year-old Jesuit seminarian from the Philippines when in 1996 he died protecting his Cambodian students from a hand grenade. He is now on the road to sainthood, thanks to a norm issued by Pope Francis this summer that opens the door to canonisation for those who have “voluntarily and Read more
The martyrs of the French Revolution
Friday, October 28th, 2016
Who was Brother Salomon Leclercq ? Born in Boulogne-sur-Mer on November 14, 1745, Guillaume-Louis-Nicolas Leclercq entered the novitiate of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Lasallians), where he took the religious name of Brother Salomon and eventually became Superior-General. Following the promulgation of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which gave the state control over the Read more
Trevi Fountain to be dyed red for Christian martyrs
Friday, April 22nd, 2016The Trevi Fountain in Rome is to be dyed red in recognition of Christians who even today give their lives for their faith. The April 29 event is being organised by Aid to the Church in Need and seeks to “call attention to the drama of anti-Christian persecution”. Continue reading
Pope Francis to Ethiopian Patriarch: Martyrs seed of Christian unity
Tuesday, March 1st, 2016Pope Francis urged world leaders to “promote peaceful coexistence” in the face of “a devastating outbreak of violence against Christians” on Monday, when he received the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Pope Matthias I, in the Vatican. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, which rejected the Read more
Pope says modern martyrs foster new ecumenical commitment
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015Pope Francis has said the martyrdoms of modern Christians of many denominations will nourish “a new era of ecumenical commitment”. The Pope said this during a meeting with members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III) in Rome. The Pope said ecumenism is not a “secondary element” in the life of the Church. Referring Read more
Possible future pope contrasts martyrs with laxity in West
Tuesday, April 14th, 2015
A cardinal touted as the next pope has said that while some Christians are being martyred for their faith, some in the West are trying to water down the Gospel. Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah said this in a book length interview “Dieu ou Rien” (God or Nothing) published in France last month. Italian Vatican commentator Read more
China’s modern martyrs
Tuesday, September 9th, 2014
The blood of martyrs has proven to be the seed of the Church in China, as vibrant communities thrive despite government interference and restrictions. “We should be glad and rejoice. “As the Shanghai Catholic youths said: ‘We are greatly honored to have been born and lived at this important time.’” — Cardinal Kung Pin-mei, Sermon Read more
Pope travelling in tiny box Kia car stuns Koreans
Tuesday, August 19th, 2014
On arriving in Korea, Pope Francis amazed onlookers and a huge television audience by getting into an unassuming, small car. This was in nation where VIPs are rarely seen in anything other than expensive, luxury cars. After his arrival on August 14, the Pope left the airport in a compact black Kia that many South Read more
Advisor says Francis wants to reform papacy for Christian unity
Tuesday, August 5th, 2014
Pope Francis wants to reform the papacy to allow greater unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, a newly appointed senior adviser says. Enzo Bianchi was appointed on July 22 as a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Tablet reported him saying the Pope could allow a council of bishops, including Read more