Vatican City, Mar 2, 2017 / 11:47 am
In his prayer video for March, Pope Francis prays for persecuted Christians, asking for the prayers and aid of the whole Church toward those mistreated on the basis of their beliefs.
"How many people are being persecuted because of their faith, forced to abandon their homes, their places of worship, their lands, their loved ones!" the Pope says in the video.
Released March 2, the video shows people from different countries being photographed as if arrested, then holding up signs reading "Protestant," "Catholic," and "Orthodox."
"They are persecuted and killed because they are Christians," the Pope says. "Those who persecute them make no distinction between the religious communities to which they belong."