The Pope Video | The Pope Video is a global initiative developed by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer)

Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.

Pope Francis – MARCH 2024

This month, I want to tell you a story that is a reflection of the Church today. It is the story of a little-known witness of faith.
Visiting a refugee camp in Lesbos, a man told me, “Father, I am Muslim. My wife was Christian. Terrorists came to our place, looked at us and asked what our religion was. They approached my wife with a crucifix and told her to throw it on the ground. She didn’t do it, and they slit her throat in front of me.” That’s what happened.
I know he held no grudges. He was focused on his wife’s example of love, a love for Christ that led her to accept, and to be faithful to the point of death.
Brothers, sisters, there will always be martyrs among us. This is a sign that we’re on the right path.
A person who knows told me there are more martyrs today than at the beginning of Christianity.
The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone.
Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive. And to be open to the grace of martyrdom.

Credits

Campaign title:

The Pope Video – MARCH For the martyrs of our day, witnesses to Christ

A project by Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

In collaboration with Vatican Media and ACN International

Creativity and co-production by:

Gaia Valeria Rosa, Diego Angeli and Andrea Schneider Graziosi

Benefactors

Thanks to:

ACN International

With the Society of Jesus

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PRESS RELEASE

Pope Francis: “The martyrs are a sign that we’re on the right path”

In the new release of The Pope Video, Pope Francis requests prayers for the new martyrs of our day so that they might “imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.” A martyr is a Christian who bears witness to the Gospel until death without resorting to violence.

“The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone,” the Holy Father reflects in the message he addresses to us through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The video is produced in collaboration with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and is being released for the month in which the Day of Missionary Martyrs is celebrated.

(Vatican City, 27 February 2024) – Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, many believers have been persecuted and assassinated for their faith. Looking at this reality, the Pope insists that their witness “is a blessing for everyone” and requests prayers particularly for them in The Pope Video for March which is released through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

Stories of courage and witnesses of love

The lives of those people who offer themselves as witnesses to Christ are, above all, true stories with characteristics that make them unique in themselves. In his video message, made this month with the support Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic international charitable organization recognized as a Papal Foundation, whose mission is to help the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in need through information, prayer and action, Pope Francis recalls the witness and pain of a husband whom he met on the Greek island of Lesbos: “They approached my wife with a crucifix and told her to throw it on the ground. She didn’t do it, and they slit her throat in front of me.”

It is precisely the story of this woman that The Pope Video constructs for the month of March. She left an “example of love” for Christ and Fidelity “until death”. Her story alternates with other images of Christian communities on pilgrimage and cites examples of courage, such as that of the first Servant of God from Pakistan – Akash Bashir – who died in 2015 when he was almost 20 years old to prevent a terrorist attack on a Church in Lahore filled with members of the faithful.

The martyrs, heroes of all times

There are many hidden martyrs, heroes of our world today, who lead ordinary lives with integrity, and who courageously accept the grace of being witnesses to the end, even unto death itself. The Pope insists: “Brothers, sisters, there will always be martyrs among us. This is a sign that we’re on the right path.” The fact that there are martyrs means there are people who have risked their lives to follow Jesus, to live according to his message and incarnate his Gospel of love, peace and fraternity in the world. They have neither denied nor forgotten Him, but have remained firm in their faith, thus demonstrating their fidelity to Jesus Christ. This is how they indicate the right path for the Church.

“A person who knows told me there are more martyrs today than at the beginning of Christianity,” Pope Francis adds, emphasizing how the issue of persecuted Christians and those who give their life for the faith is highly relevant today. In 2023 alone, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) received reports in 40 countries of people who were assassinated or sequestered because of the faith. Nigeria has become the country with the highest number of assassinations; in Pakistan, in the diocese of Faisalabad, the churches and homes of the Christians in Jaranwala were attacked; and in Burkina Faso, Catholics in Débé were expelled from their village solely because of their faith – just to mention a few examples.

Taking this scenario into consideration, the Executive President of the Pontifical Foundation, Regina Lynch, notes: “Religious freedom, recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is an inalienable right. No Christian should have to lose their life to exercise it. Guaranteeing the right to practice the faith is crucial, as a component of the dignity of every human being.” In this sense, she affirms that Pope Francis’ intention for this month is “very important in order to encourage prayer for the victims of persecution, as well as advocacy for those who suffer discrimination for their faith. In addition, we must involve politicians so that they defend the rights of the most vulnerable.”

The courage to witness with one’s own life

Father Frédéric Fornos S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, recalls what Saint Francis of Assisi said one day to his brothers “Always proclaim the Gospel. If necessary, use words.” And he adds: “We are called to bear witness to Christ with our entire life. A martyr is a witness to Christ, whose very existence is a living witness, that is, the person incarnates the Gospel putting their own life at risk without resorting to violence. The Pope’s prayer intention challenges us: How can we bear witness to Christ right where we are? Not everyone is called to risk their lives to remain faithful to Jesus Christ. But each of us can ask ourselves, “When I face situations at work, among my activities, my social network, or in my family, that are contrary to Christian ethics or the Gospel, do I take a stand to follow in Christ’s steps regardless of the difficulties or challenges that might arise? Or do I evade it? Therefore, let us pray with the Pope, that all those in various parts of the world who risk their lives for the Gospel might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.”

The Pope Video is possible thanks to the generous contributions of many people. You can donate by following this link.

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About The Pope Video

The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 218 million views across all the Vatican’s social networks, and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries. The videos are produced and created by The Pope Video Prayer Network team, coordinated by Andrea Sarubbi, and distributed by La Machi Communication for Good Causes. The project is sponsored by Vatican Media. More information: The Pope Video

About the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Vatican foundation, with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are presented in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. The foundation’s mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus, a mission of compassion for the world. Founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer, it is present in 89 countries, and is made up of more than 22 million Catholics. It includes a youth branch, the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM). In December 2020, the Pope constituted this pontifical work as a Vatican Foundation and approved its new statutes. Its international director is Fr. Frédéric Fornos, SJ. For more information, visit: https://www.popesprayer.va.

About Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is a Catholic aid organisation for war refugees and recognised as a Pontifical Foundation since 2011, Aid to the Church in Need is dedicated to the service of Christians around the world, through information, prayer and action, wherever they are persecuted or oppressed or suffering material need. Since it began, ACN is a work of charity and reconciliation at the service of Christians who suffer. ACN is the only Catholic organization focused on pastoral support, overseeing over 5.000 projects annually in close to 150 countries, to persecuted Christians and those who are suffering. In addition to its charitable projects, its work regarding the situation of religious freedom throughout the world raises awareness and contributes to dialogue and promotes change. Through the publication of the “Religious Freedom Report”, ACN has been recognized as a leader and expert in this field. For more information: https://acninternational.org/

PRESS CONTACT

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AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED (ACN)

María Lozano