This prayer is based on public comments of Pope Francis on the Feast of St. Stephen in 2016.
By choosing the truth, Christ became at the same time the victim of the mystery of evil present in the world – but He has conquered… Today the Church is experiencing severe persecution in different places, up to the supreme test of martyrdom… How many of our brothers and sisters in faith suffer abuse, violence, and are hated because of Jesus… We want to think about them and be close to them with our affection, our prayer, and also our tears.
When we read the history of the early centuries, here in Rome, we read about so much cruelty towards Christians. There is this same cruelty today, and in greater numbers with Christians. In making space within our heart to the Son of God… let us renew the joyous and courageous willingness to follow him faithfully as our only guide, persevering in living according to the mind of the Gospel and refusing the mentality of the rulers of this world. Amen.
Francis should be bringing people to Jesus Christ and His One and Only Church. If anyone denies the Son they deny the Father. There is only one path to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. If one doesn’t accept the Most Holy Trinity there is no salvation and other religions are paganism. Francis by leading souls to hell by religious freedom will have to stand in judgement before Our Blessed Lord
Many have come again to Jesus through the words of Francis. Nowhere is it written that persons raised in another religion, and who practice their religion, cannot enter the Kingdom of God. You are much mistaken. And you shall love one another as I have loved you. Remember? Think about it.
Yes Love one another as I have loved you. Could not agree more. However, Our Lord established One and One only church. Outside of which there is No Salvation. The True Pre Vatican II Catholic Church Period. Bergoglio is an anti pope and a heretic. Benedict is the True living pontiff.
In his book Theological Highlights of Vatican II published in 1966, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) says this:
“(a) The Catholic has to recognize that his own Church is not yet prepared to accept the phenomenon of multiplicity in unity; he must orient himself toward this reality. He must also recognize the need for a thorough Catholic renewal, something not to be accomplished in a day. This requires a process of opening up, which takes time. Meantime, the Catholic Church has no right to absorb the other Churches. The Church has not yet prepared for them a place of their own, but this they are legitimately entitled to.
(b) A basic unity–of Churches that remain Churches, yet become one Church–must replace the idea of conversion, even though conversion retains its meaningfulness for those in conscience motivated to seek it.
…Therefore, the Catholic cannot demand that all the other Churches be disbanded and their members be individually incorporated into Catholicism. However, he [Professor Edmund Schlink] can hope that the hour will come when ‘the Churches’ that exist outside ‘the Church’ will enter into its unity. But they must remain in existence as Churches, with only those modifications which such unity necessarily requires.
…Thus the last step has been taken. The New Testament recognizes the plurality of Churches only within the unity of the one Church and never in the form of separated denominational Churches. In view of the historical Christian situation, the Council tried to see the plurality of ‘Churches’ outside the unity of the one Church. It conceded to non-Catholic Christian communities the honorable name of ‘Church.’ Though they are not ‘the Church,’ they are really ‘Churches.’ …This term ‘Churches’ implies the Catholic Church’s admission that it did not leave proper room for this multiplicity in its oneness. It thus is continuously challenged to open itself to a real ecumenical future.”
Please pray for unity of Our Lord’s divided church here on earth. I believe The Holy Spirit is guiding the Holy Father and all of the Church to close the gap, heal the divisions so as to rise together to fight the evil and fulfill the mission to establish His Kingdom here on earth.