VATICAN - On the feast of St Stephen the Pope prays for “all who are persecuted or suffer in various ways to witness and serve the Gospel”, especially “Catholics who remain loyal to the See of Peter refusing to compromise, at times at the price of much suffering ”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On December 26, feast of St Stephen the first martyr, from his window overlooking St Peter’s Square Pope Benedict XVI led the recitation of the midday Angelus with thousands of visitors gathered for his blessing. The Pope said the apparent contrast between “the peace and joy of Bethlehem and the tragedy of Stephan’s stoning, the first persecution against the fledgling Church” is overcome when we consider that “the Infant Jesus lying in the manger, is the Only Son of God made man. He will save humanity by dying on the cross … the Redeemer is born to die, born to give His life as a ransom for all”.
Saint Stephan was the first to follow Christ as a martyr “in the first four centuries of Christianity all the saints venerated by the Church were martyrs - the Pope recalled -. Rather than fear and grief, their deaths spread spiritual enthusiasm and more and more people became Christians. For believers the day of death, and the day of martyrdom even more so, was not the end of everything, but rather the "transit" to immortal life, it was the final day of birth, in Latin dies natalis. So we understand the connection between "dies natalis" of Christ and the dies natalis of Saint Stephen. Only because Jesus was born on earth, can mankind be born to heaven. Precisely because Christ is born, we can be "born again"!”
Recalling that the Blessed Virgin Mary shared her Son’s passion and death and therefore suffered martyrdom of heart, Pope Benedict XVI entrusted to her care “all who are persecuted or suffer in various ways to witness and serve the Gospel”. The Holy Father concluded: “With special spiritual closeness I think of “Catholics who remain loyal to the See of Peter refusing to compromise, at times at the price of much suffering. The whole Church admires their example and prays they will have the strength to persevere knowing that their tribulations are a source of victory, although at the moment they might appear as defeat”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 28/12/2006 - righe 24, parole 369)