In his message to Cardinal Kurt Koch, the Pope said: “We are not indifferent to our suffering brothers and sisters” who are “witness[es] to Christ, even to the shedding of blood”.
Pope Francis has launched a fresh appeal for persecuted Christians. “Your gathering (the Global Christian Forum Consultation Ed.) will give voice to the victims of such injustice and violence, and seek to show the path that will lead the human family out of this tragic situation.” In a message addressed to Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Francis assured him that “we are not indifferent to our suffering brothers and sisters. In various parts of the world, the witness to Christ, even to the shedding of blood, has become a shared experience.”
The Pope underlined the importance of giving a “voice to the victims of such injustice and violence, and seek to show the path that will lead the human family out of this tragic situation. With these sentiments, I assure you of my spiritual closeness. May the martyrs of today, belonging to many Christian traditions, help us to understand that all the baptised are members of the same Body of Christ, his Church. Let us see this profound truth as a call to persevere on our ecumenical journey towards full and visible communion, growing more and more in love and mutual understanding.”
