«Still today there are so many martyrs, so many who are persecuted for the love of Christ. They are the real strength of the Church!»
That was the Tweet Pope Francis sent on August 14, 2018, from Pope Francis @Pontifex. The Holy Father has on numerous occasions cited the example of martyrs.
Two Colombian martyrs are examples of the nation’s desire to overcome divisions and violence, Pope Francis said in their beatification on September 8, 2017, during an outdoor Mass at Villavicencio, Colombia.
The Pope cited the text that begins and ends the Gospel of Matthew: “I will be with you always, to the close of the age.”
“This promise is fulfilled also in Colombia: Monsignor Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Bishop of Arauca, and the martyred priest of Armero, Pedro María Ramírez Ramos,” the Holy Father declared. “They are a sign of this, an expression of a people who wish to rise up out of the swamp of violence and bitterness.”
