Pope Francis asked to pray during the month of March for those who, in various parts of the world, risk their lives for the Gospel so that they might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.

This Tuesday, February 27, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network published the Holy Father’s video message that addresses the topic: “The martyrs are a sign that we’re on the right path.”

Opening the video, the Pope shared a story he witnessed during a visit to a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where a Muslim man recounted the sacrifice of his wife, a Christian who refused to renounce her faith.

This man told the Pontiff: “Father, I am Muslim. My wife was Christian. Terrorists came to our place, looked at us, and asked what our religion was. They approached my wife with a crucifix and told her to throw it on the ground. She didn’t do it, and they slit her throat in front of me.”

The Holy Father praised the courage and faith of this woman, whose “example of love, a love for Christ that led her to accept, and to be faithful to the point of death.” Likewise, he highlighted the attitude of her husband, who did not let himself be carried away by resentment but instead focused “on his wife’s example of love.”

Furthermore, the Pope pointed out that martyrs are a constant in the history of the Church, a sign “that we’re on the right path,” and even suggested that the number of martyrs today may exceed those of the early days of Christianity.

“The courage of the martyrs, the witness of the martyrs, is a blessing for everyone. Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive. And to be open to the grace of martyrdom,” Francis concluded.

Adapted and translated by Jacob Stein