Tuesday February 25, 2020

Lent calendar for modern martyrs

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The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need is honouring Christians who have heroically offered their lives for God, and those currently being persecuted, in an online Lenten calendar.

Tuesday February 25, 2020

Tuesday February 25, 2020 Comments

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During Lent and Easter, the foundation will share the martyrs’ stories online each day.

ACN Australia’s national director, Bernard Toutounji, said all the testimonies featured in the ACN Lent calendar are from the 21st century and are witnesses to “the love and dedication of our brothers and sisters in faith”.

“Through the Lent calendar, we also want to encourage prayer for the liberation of those Christians who have been abducted and are still being held captive, or unjustly imprisoned because of their faith,” he said.

“In countries including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, India or Somalia, being a Christian can mean death at the hands of fanatical extremists. Some (of the martyrs) were serving the poorest of the poor or fighting injustice for the love of Christ and they were murdered as a result. These include priests and nuns – in Haiti, Mexico and El Salvador – who willingly risked their lives to follow Christ’s call.”

The calendar can be viewed on ACN’s website www.aidtochurch.org/lent2020