Pope Francis prays for martyrs in March video

Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International says, “The right to practice the faith is crucial and a component of every human being’s dignity.”

“The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone,” the Holy Father says in his message for the March Pope Video. This video, which is being promoted by the Worldwide Prayer Network, was produced in collaboration with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). ACN supports Christians wherever they are persecuted, or in need.

Millions of Christians live in countries where religious freedom is not respected and where they may be subject to discrimination and persecution. In the Pope’s video message, these Christian communities are remembered, and examples of courage are cited, like the first Servant of God from Pakistan, Akash Bashir, who died at the age of 20 in 2015 while trying to prevent a terrorist attack on a church in Lahore.

They show us the way

In his message, Pope Francis also says, “There will always be martyrs among us. This is a sign that we’re on the right path.” The fact that there are martyrs means there are people who have risked their lives to follow Jesus, to live according to his message and incarnate the Gospel. They have neither denied nor forgotten Him, but have remained firm in their faith, thus demonstrating their fidelity to Christ.

A person who knows told me there are more martyrs today than at the beginning of Christianity,” Pope Francis adds, emphasizing how the issue of Christian persecution is relevant today. In 2023 alone, Nigeria has the highest number of assassinations; in the Diocese of Faisalabad in Pakistan, Christian homes and churches were attacked; and in Burkina Faso, Catholics in Débé were expelled from their village solely on account of their faith. And these are only a few cases.

Religious Freedom

Regina Lynch, Executive Presidentof ACN, says, “Religious freedom, recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is an inalienable right. No Christian should lose their life to exercise it.” In defense of this fundamental right, ACN publishes the Religious Freedom in the World Report every other year.

Lynch affirms that Pope Francis’s intention for the month of March is “very important [because it encourages] prayer for the victims of persecution, as well as advocacy for those who suffer discrimination for their faith. We must also involve politicians, so they defend the rights of the most vulnerable.”