In this first public mass in Asia, Pope Francis spoke to 50,000 people and told them they need to strive to eliminate materialism from their lives.
The Pope also said to “reject inhumane economic models which create new forms of poverty and marginalize workers, and the culture of death which devalues the image of God, the God of life, and violates the dignity of every man, woman and child.”
Vatican Radio said the Pope’s message focused on the allure of materialism that is so worshipped and praised by the world. He said the spirit of unbridled competition that feeds materialism is the engine driving selfishness and strife.
The Pope took time to give special praise to the Korean church because they did not have a track record to build on and when they found Catholic books imported from China “were able to go it alone.”
He also offered blessings for 10,000 Koreans that had been martyred in the 18th and 19th centuries trying to bring Catholicism into the region. He said the martyrs gave a “noble tradition” and “legacy” that needs to be continued by taking care of “the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in our midst.”
Pope Francis said that more Christians are being persecuted today than at any time in human history.
“There are many martyrs today, in the Church, many persecuted Christians,” the Pope said during mass. “Think of the Middle East where Christians must flee persecution, where Christians are killed. Even those Christians who are forced away in an ‘elegant’ way, with ‘white gloves:’ that too is persecution. There are more witnesses, more martyrs in the Church today than there were in the first centuries.”
The Pope’s statements are seen as commentary on the current situation in Iraq where Islamic extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is slaughtering Christians. Iraq’s Christian population traces their roots to the earliest days of Christianity.
The Pope said that the persecution could bring a great opportunity for Christians to be a witness to the world over faith in Christ.
“When historical situations require a strong witness, there are martyrs, the greatest witnesses. And the Church grows thanks to the blood of the martyrs. This is the beauty of martyrdom. It begins with witness, day after day, and it can end like Jesus, the first martyr, the first witness, the faithful witness: with blood,” the Pope said.
The Vatican says that over 100,000 Christians every year worldwide are killed for their belief in Christ.
Monsignor Silvano Maria Tomasi stated on Vatican Radio that the “shocking” number comes from murders in mostly the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In addition to the murders, Christians have been forced to leave their homes and see their churches destroyed. Continue reading →
