Vatican City, Nov 16, 2018 / 14:06 pm
There is the bloody martyrdom of Christians killed for their faith, but also another "martyrdom" which takes place when religious freedom is unjustly limited, Pope Francis said Friday in an audience with a group which assists the Church in the Holy Land.
"It is in front of the whole world – which too often turns its gaze to the other side – the dramatic situation of Christians who are persecuted and killed in ever-increasing numbers," the pope said Nov. 16 in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.
"In addition to their martyrdom in their blood," he said, "there is also their 'white martyrdom,' such as that which occurs in democratic countries when freedom of religion is restricted."
Pope Francis spoke with around 130 members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem on the final day of their Nov. 13-16 general assembly in Rome. The knighthood order provides financial support to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.