In his video for the month of March 2024, Pope Francis joins "Aid to the Church in Need" and points out as protagonists "the new martyrs, witnesses of Christ". In his messageThe Pontiff tells the story of a Muslim man whose wife, a devout Christian, was killed by terrorists after refusing to throw her crucifix to the ground. Francis considers the woman's gesture to be a testimony of "a love for Christ that led her to accept and be loyal to the point of death".
In the video, the Pope affirms that "there are more martyrs today than at the beginning of Christianity". Something that is not surprising, considering that the religious persecution has been on the rise for some years now. However, the Holy Father assures us that these testimonies of fidelity are "the sign that we are on the right path".
For this reason, the Pope asks Catholics to pray with him so that the martyrs, who risk their lives for the Gospel, may infect the Church with their courage, their missionary impulse". And he assures that the courage and witness of these people are "a blessing for everyone".
New Martyrs Commission
Francis frequently draws the attention of Catholics to the lives of the new martyrs. So much so, that on July 3, 2023, he communicated in a letter the constitution of a "Commission of the New Martyrs-Witnesses to the Faith". This committee, linked to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, aims to "draw up a Catalogue of all those who have shed their blood to confess Christ and bear witness to his Gospel". The Commission will focus its work on those who died for the sake of the Gospel in the first quarter century of our time, but the Pope wants its work to continue in the future.
The Catalogue on which this committee is working also includes the testimonies of other Christian confessions. The Pontiff trusts that this effort of the Commission "will help believers to read our times in the light of Easter, drawing from the treasure chest of such generous fidelity to Christ the reasons for life and good".
