Cardinal Pietro Parolin issued a powerful appeal for Catholics to remember Christians suffering for their faith around the world, pointing to the witness of the martyrs as a reminder that fidelity to Christ can demand extraordinary courage.
The Vatican Secretary of State made the appeal during a Mass in Catania, Sicily, on Aug. 17, as the local Church commemorated the 900th anniversary of the return of the relics of Saint Agatha from Constantinople to Catania.
According to Vatican News, Cardinal Parolin presided over the Mass in Catania’s cathedral at the culmination of a Jubilee dedicated to the beloved virgin and martyr.
During his homily, the cardinal called attention not only to the historic martyrdom of Saint Agatha, but also to Christians who continue to suffer because of their faith today.
“Let us therefore remember and pray at this moment for all these brothers and sisters of ours scattered throughout the various parts of the world who suffer persecution for the name of the Lord and for his Gospel,” Cardinal Parolin said, according to Vatican News.
The cardinal’s message connected the suffering of today’s persecuted Christians with the enduring example of Saint Agatha, whose witness, he said, remains relevant to the Church centuries after her death.
“Saint Agatha does not simply belong to the history of Catania: she belongs to God’s today and continues to walk with her people,” Cardinal Parolin said.
Reflecting on the Christian understanding of martyrdom, Cardinal Parolin emphasized that the significance of Saint Agatha’s witness is found not simply in the violence inflicted upon her, but in her unwavering love for Christ.
Her martyrdom, he said, “is not first and foremost the account of violence suffered, but the manifestation of a love that no violence was able to extinguish.”
According to Vatican News, Cardinal Parolin also reflected on the biblical account of the martyrdom of the seven Maccabean brothers and their mother and on the witness of Saint Paul, stressing that fidelity to Christ must remain stronger than the temptation to compromise.
That same confidence, he said, rests on the knowledge that the Church ultimately depends upon God rather than human strength.
The Church “does not live by her own efficiency, but by the grace of God; she is not founded on the abilities of her members, but on the faithfulness of the Lord, who continues to work through human weakness,” Cardinal Parolin said.
He also recalled the repeated biblical command, “Do not be afraid,” explaining that Christian confidence does not mean believers will be spared suffering.
“This is not simply psychological encouragement, but the very foundation of our Christian life. Jesus does not promise an existence free from trials and tribulations; he promises something much greater,” the cardinal said.
While drawing attention to Christians facing violent persecution, Cardinal Parolin also urged Catholics to recognize another form of sacrifice that can occur quietly in ordinary life.
“But let us not forget that there is also, so to speak, a bloodless martyrdom to which we too are called,” he said.
The cardinal described this as “the daily martyrdom of fidelity,” according to Vatican News.
He pointed to spouses who remain faithful through difficulties, parents who raise their children in the Christian faith, young people who resist a culture centered on appearances, priests and consecrated religious who devote their lives to others, and elderly people who offer their suffering to God with trust.
This daily holiness can also be found, he said, among those who quietly choose justice instead of compromise, truth instead of convenience, and forgiveness instead of revenge.
Cardinal Parolin concluded by encouraging Catholics to confront the difficulties of the present age according to the example of the saints. Rather than answering evil with further evil, Christians are called to respond with the charity flowing from the Cross.
His message in Catania ultimately placed the ancient witness of Saint Agatha alongside the suffering and fidelity of Christians today: from believers enduring persecution for the Gospel to ordinary Catholics striving to remain faithful to Christ in their families, vocations and daily lives.
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