Christians need the heroic witness of those who stand up to hatred even when it means giving up their lives, Pope Francis has said.
At Rome’s Basilica of St Bartholomew, a shrine to modern martyrs, Pope Francis presided over an evening prayer service honouring Christians killed under Nazism, communism, dictatorships and terrorism.
“These teach us that with the force of love and with meekness one can fight arrogance, violence and war, and that with patience peace is possible,” the Pope said in his homily in the small basilica on Rome’s Tiber island.
