Santiago, Chile, Nov 15, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Inspired by a similar initiative by Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need, the Bishops’ Conference of Chile has declared November 19 to be a day of prayer for the persecuted Church throughout the world.
The bishops said that starting this year, the last Sunday of November would be designated in Chile as a day of prayer for Catholics around the world suffering persecution and martyrdom for the faith.
The Chilean branch of Aid to the Church in Need recently issued a statement, explaining that “in many countries, despite the fact that religious freedom is in theory recognized, in practice this is hindered for political reasons, or in a concealed way, by the cultural predominance of agnosticism and relativism,” as in the cases of China, Pakistan, Nigeria and other countries.
The statement explained that Catholics in Chile have the duty to show concern for the suffering of those who live in far-away countries and to help them in faith and in prayer. “Let us be aware that religious persecution exists today, in the 21st century, in just as crude and cruel a way as in the times of the first Christians,” the statement indicated.