Pope Francis assured his prayers for Christians “who in our days suffer persecution and even death for the name of Jesus,” during his audience with the members of the Hidden Christian Research Association of Japan, this November 30.
In his message to the Japanese association, dedicated to protecting the Hidden Christian sites in the Nagasaki regionwhich bear witness to evangelization in Japan and which were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2018, the Holy Father thanked “their efforts to preserve these places as precious testimonies of a great but hidden chapter in the history of the universal Church and of that of his noble people.”
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“I hope that the recognition of the importance of these sites, in addition to guaranteeing their adequate conservation, also serves as a living testimony of the fidelity of many Japanese Christians, who have transmitted as a legacy, from generation to generation, the precious treasure of faith” .
Furthermore, he recalled that “I will have the joy of creating another Japanese cardinal on December 7,” referring to Monsignor Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, Archbishop of Tokyo.
The Pope highlighted that his meeting with the Japanese delegation takes place a few days before “the celebration of the memory of Saint Francis Xavier, the great missionary who dreamed that the preaching of the Gospel would produce a rich harvest of souls in your homeland.”
“As heirs of that dream, may your educational and conservation work make this eminent chapter in the history of evangelization better known and appreciated,” he encouraged.
“Dear friends, when we think of the heroism of the first missionaries, the courage of the Japanese martyrs and the perseverance of the small but faithful Catholic community of their country, how can we not think of our Christian brothers who suffer persecution today? and even death for the name of Jesus? “I ask you to join me in praying for them and for those who suffer the bitter fruits of war, violence, hatred and oppression,” he said.
The Holy Father also encouraged us to trust “in the intercession of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and let us pray with even greater fervor for the coming of the Kingdom of Christ, the Kingdom of universal reconciliation, justice and peace.”
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.