"Lord Jesus Christ" were their last words!

June 15, 2017

Question:

I heard somewhere (perhaps on the Terry and Jesse Show) that more Christians are being persecuted in the present than in any other part of history. Then I heard somewhere that I can't remember but definitely not on T&J (perhaps on the Drew Mariani Show), that more Christians have been persecuted this century than in all previous centuries combined. Since hearing the "this century" statement, I've pondered it off-n-on. I'm finding it very difficult to believe, knowing we are only into the 18th year of this century. Just wondering your take on it. Could the statement be true? In other words, have more Christians died in the past 18 years for our faith than in all of the years before the year 2000? And if the statement is true, where can I find the facts that back it up? Perhaps the person misspoke and meant to say "in the past 100 years" instead of "this century"? That is much more believable to me as it would encompass both World Wars, Vietnam, Korea, and the Gulf Wars. But I'm not a history expert, let alone a Christian history expert. Hence my question.  :) 

Answer:

More Catholics were probably persecuted, tortured, and martyred in the twentieth century than in any previous century according the author - Robert Royal in his book: The Catholic Martyrs of the 20th Century; .This is the only book for the general public that provides a global account of the heroic men and women martyred for the faith in the twentieth century. It is packed with unknown incidents and shocking accounts. The chapter on Nazi Germany alone will leave you in awe. His book tries to present as full a record as possible of those who died as martyrs or suffered heroically for their faith. The great value of their lives and witness to the world is immeasurable will inspire your faith tremendously.

In his encyclical preparing for the 2000 Jubilee, On the Third Millennium, John Paul II wrote that people who are willing to die for the truth become like Christ himself and throughout history helped the Church to survive and grow. To overlook the modern martyrs would be to neglect a crucial aspect of God's action in our time:

"At the end of the second millennium, the church has once again become a church of martyrs. The persecution of believers -- priests, religious, and laity -- has caused a great sowing of martyrdom in different parts of the world... This witness must not be forgotten."

Just south of the border, on November 22, 1927, a man dressed in street clothes was led through a crowd of photographers and politicians on his way to a firing squad in Mexico City. Photographers were present for this illegal execution.... The man walked calmly to the place of his death, asked to be allowed to pray, and then, in a voice neither defiant nor desperate, intoned the words Viva Cristo Rey! -- "Long Live Christ the King!" Through photographs distributed worldwide, the Jesuit priest Miguel Augustin Pro thus became the most famous martyr in Mexico's anti-Catholic revolution early in the twentieth century. From 1926 to 1929 - 200,000 people were killed during the Cristero war and persecution of the Church by the Mexican government.

 

* CATALYST magazine by the 'Catholic League for Religious & Civil Rights; March 2004,  p.5 – “it is estimated that 70 million Christians have been murdered in the past 2000 years, 45 million of which occurred in the last century alone!”

 

* Christians are the most persecuted group in the Word (6-3-13) http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/christians-are-the-most-persecuted-grou...

 

·       White martyrs (harassment); red martyrs (murdered).

·       St Stephen – 1st martyr in the book of Acts 7.

·       1 Cor 13:3 – to accept martyrdom takes a special grace from God.

·       The world will become more hostile to Christians before the 2nd coming: CCC 675-677.

·       Revelation 6:9 – the martyrs in heaven cry to the Lord for vengeance & justice upon their killers who are on earth.

 

"Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."  2 Timothy 3:12