“How many Stephens there are in the world these days. We think of our brothers whose throats were slit on the beach in Libya; we think of that young boy burned alive by his fellow citizens because he was Christian; we think about those migrants who were thrown into the high seas by others, and many others whom we don’t know about, who suffer in prisons because they are Christians. Today the church is a church of martyrs.” – Pope Francis, April 21, 2015
“[Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep. – Acts 7:55-60
Sources:
- http://cnstopstories.com/2015/04/21/pope-church-is-made-of-martyrs-leaders-must-respond-to-victims-cries/
- http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/04/19/boko-haram-adopts-isis-bloody-religious-cleansing-strategy/
- http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/March/Miracle-Survivors-Tell-of-Boko-Harams-Unspeakable-Evil/
- http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/01/30/face-to-face-with-a-boko-haram-escapee-a-christian-boy-tells-his-story/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Nigeria
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