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.
Click here to look back on Pope Francis' past prayer intentions on the Salt + Light Media Blog.
We pray that through work, each person might find fulfillment, families might be sustained in dignity, and that society might be humanized.
Nicholas Jesson reflects on the late pope's achievements on the journey to Christian unity and human fraternity.
On Divine Mercy Sunday, 27 April, 2025, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis' Secretary of State, presided over Mass and delivered the homily for the Second Day of the Novendiali and the Jubilee of Adolescents.
At 10 a.m. this morning, on the parvis of the Patriarchal Vatican Basilica, the Esequial Mass for the late Roman Pontiff, Pope Francis, was celebrated with deep reverence and solemnity. The Esequial Liturgy was concelebrated by the Cardinals and the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, with His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presiding. Read the full text of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily below.
“That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” (Address to Representatives of the Communications Media, March 16, 2013) We are deeply saddened by the death of our beloved Pope Francis on April […]