As Pope Francis Prays for Persecuted Christians at Easter, Let Us Add Prayers for Persecuted American Christians

For Pope Francis, Good Friday was focused on prayer for Christians persecuted around the world. And as we join Pope Francis in praying for persecuted Christians, let's not forget American Christians, who are being persecuted by secular groups who want to suppress Christianity in America and who are mis-using the United States Constitution, a Christian document, to improperly support their persecution of the 75% of Americans who are Christians. ~~~~~ Early on Friday, the Vatican Secretary of State wrote to the Kenyan conference of bishops, to express Pope Francis's solidarity with the families of the 147 Christian students, singled out for death because they were Christians, by jihadist terrorists at a Kenyan college. Francis wrote : "Deeply saddened by the immense and tragic loss of life caused by the recent attack on the Garissa University College, the Holy Father sends assurances of his prayers and spiritual closeness to the families of the victims and to all Kenyans at this painful time. He commends the souls of the deceased to the infinite mercy of Almighty God, and he prays that all who mourn them will be comforted in their loss. In union with all people of good will throughout the world, His Holiness condemns this act of senseless brutality and prays for a change of heart among its perpetrators. He calls upon all those in authority to redouble their efforts to work with all men and women in Kenya to bring an end to such violence and to hasten the dawn of a new era of brotherhood, justice and peace." ~~~~~ Present in the Vatican Basilica in the afternoon, the Pope presided at the celebration of the Passion of the Lord, and then at the Colosseum, in the evening, he led the Way of the Cross. The Pope's prayer resounded for all Christians who are suffering violence around the world. The following is a Vatican Radio translation of the Pope's Italian prayer at the Colosseum. ~~~~~ "O Christ Crucified and Victorious, Your Via Crucis [Way of the Cross] is the summation of your life; it is the icon of your obedience to the will of the Father; it is the realization of your infinite love for us sinners; it is the proof of your mission; it is the definitive fulfillment of Revelation and salvation history. The weight of your Cross frees us of all our burdens. In your obedience to the will of the Father, we realize our rebellion and disobedience. In you - sold, betrayed and crucified by your own people and loved ones - we see our daily betrayals and our habitual infidelities. In your innocence, the Immaculate Lamb, we see our culpability. In your face - struck, spit on and disfigured – we see all the brutality of our sins. In the cruelty of your Passion we see the cruelty of our hearts and of our actions. In your experience of being “abandoned,” we see all those who have been abandoned by their relatives, by society, left without care and solidarity. In your body - stripped bare, pierced and torn apart - we see the bodies of our brothers and sisters abandoned along the streets, disfigured by our negligence and indifference. In your thirst, Lord, we see the thirst of your merciful Father who in You wanted to embrace, forgive and save all of humanity. In your Divine Love, we see our brothers and sisters who are still being persecuted, decapitated and crucified for their faith in You, before our very eyes and often with our complicit silence. Impress, Lord, in our hearts the sentiments of faith, hope, love and sorrow for our sins. Lead us to repent for our sins which crucified you. Lead us to transform our words of conversion into a conversion of life and deeds. Lead us to guard within us the living memory of your disfigured Face, so as never to forget the terrible price you paid for our freedom. Jesus Crucified, strengthen in us faith so as not to crumble in the face of temptation; revive in us hope so as nor to go astray with the seductions of the world; guard charity in us so as not to be fooled by corruption and by worldliness. Teach us that the Cross is the way to the Resurrection. Teach us that Good Friday is the road to an Easter of light; teach us that God never forgets his children and never tires of forgiving us and of embracing us with his infinite mercy. Teach us, also, to never tire of asking for forgiveness, of believing in the limitless mercy of the Father. Soul of Christ, sanctify us. Body of Christ, save us. Blood of Christ, inebriate us. Water from the side of Christ, wash us. Passion of Christ, strengthen us. O good Jesus, hear us. Within your wounds, hide us. Never let us be separated from you. From the malignant enemy, defend us. At the hour of death, call us; and bid us come to you. That with your saints we may praise you forever and ever. Amen." ~~~~~ But the somber messages of Good Friday gave way to the joyful Easter message of Pope Francis : "Dear Brothers and Sisters, a Happy and Holy Easter! The Church throughout the world echoes the angel’s message to the women : “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He s not here; for he has been raised… Come, see the place where he lay” ( Mt 28:5-6). This is the culmination of the Gospel, it is the Good News par excellence : Jesus, who was crucified, is risen! This event is the basis of our faith and our hope. If Christ were not raised, Christianity would lose its very meaning; the whole mission of the Church would lose its impulse, for this is the point from which it first set out and continues to set out ever anew. The message which Christians bring to the world is this : Jesus, Love incarnate, died on the cross for our sins, but God the Father raised him and made him the Lord of life and death. That is why we tell everyone : “Come and see!” In every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life’s troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast… “Come and see!”: Love is more powerful, love gives life, love makes hope blossom in the wilderness. With this joyful certainty in our hearts, today we turn to you, risen Lord! Help us to seek you and to find you, to realize that we have a Father and are not orphans, that we can love and adore you. Help us to overcome the scourge of hunger, aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible. Enable us to protect the vulnerable, especially children, women and the elderly, who are at times exploited and abandoned. Enable us to care for our brothers and sisters struck by the Ebola epidemic in Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and to care for those suffering from so many other diseases which are also spread through neglect and dire poverty. Comfort all those who cannot celebrate this Easter with their loved ones because they have been unjustly torn from their affections, like the many persons, priests and laity, who in various parts of the world have been kidnapped. Comfort those who have left their own lands to migrate to places offering hope for a better future and the possibility of living their lives in dignity and, not infrequently, of freely professing their faith. We ask you, Lord Jesus, to put an end to all war and every conflict, whether great or small, ancient or recent. We pray in a particular way for Syria, beloved Syria, that all those suffering the effects of the conflict can receive needed humanitarian aid and that neither side will again use deadly force, especially against the defenseless civil population, but instead boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue! and to sustain the hopes raised by the resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. We beg for an end to the conflicts in the Central African Republic and a halt to the brutal terrorist attacks in parts of Nigeria and the acts of violence in South Sudan. We ask that hearts be turned to reconciliation and fraternal concord in Venezuela. By your resurrection, which this year we celebrate together with the Churches that follow the Ukraine so that all those involved, with the support of the international community, wil make every effort to prevent violence and, in a spirit of unity and dialogue, chart a path for the country’s future. On this day, may they be able to proclaim, as brothers and sisters, that Christ is risen, Khrystos voskres! Lord, we pray to you for all the peoples of the earth: you who have conquered death, grant us your life, grant us your peace Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!"