The death of St Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, teaches Catholics to renew their commitment to charity and self-gift, part of the meaning of Christmas, Pope Francis said on Thursday.
In his address before the Angelus on the feast of St Stephen, the Pope noted that “in the joyful atmosphere of Christmas, this memory of the first Christian killed for the faith may appear out of place.”
However, in the perspective of faith, he explained, the celebration is “in harmony with the true meaning of Christmas,” because in St Stephen’s martyrdom, “violence is defeated by love, death by life.”
