On the day of Saint Stephen, considered the first martyr of the Catholic Church, the Angelus was prayed. In this context, the papa Francisco made a request from the window of the apostolic palace before the “desert of death“which is seen in Syria, Gaza or Ukraine.
Furthermore, the Supreme Pontiff He stressed that “the people they want peace“and remembered the thousands of people who are persecuted in the world for their Christian faith.
Pope Francis warned of the “desert of death”
He Pontiff warned today of “desert of death“which is seen in Syria, Gaza or Ukraine and stressed that “the people want peace”, after praying the Angelus.
“I also commend to the intercession of the first martyr the peace request for people devastated by war. The media shows us what war produces: we have seen Syria, we see Gaza, think of the martyred Ukraine: a desert of death! Is that what we want? The people want peace! Let us pray for peace, let us fight for peace,” he said.
The Pope’s request on St. Stephen’s Day
On this day in which the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the first martyr in History, Saint Stephen, the Pontiff reminded the thousands of people who are chased in the world for his Christian faith.
“Today, 2,000 years Later, we sadly see that the persecution continues: there is persecution of Christians, it continues and there are many who suffer and die for bearing witness to Jesusas there are also those who are penalized at various levels for behaving in a manner consistent with the Gospel, and those who fight every day to remain faithful, without fuss, to their good duties, while the world laughs at them and preaches something else,” he pointed out. .
For this, Francisco invited us to ask ourselves some questions: “Do I care and pray for those who, in different parts of the world, continue to suffer and die for the faith? Do I try to bear witness to the Gospel with coherence, meekness and confidence? Do I believe that the seed of good will bear fruit, even if you don’t see immediate results?”
Furthermore, under the sign of the testimony of Saint Stephen, he expressed his accompaniment “to the Christian communities that suffer discrimination” and asked them to “continue to be merciful to all and fight peacefully for justice and religious freedom.”
Source: Ambito
