VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis' decree to beatify two Colombian martyrs from two troubled eras in the South American country's history underscores his call for courageous witness amid violence and persecution.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis will beatify a priest and a bishop martyred in Colombia when he visits the country in September, a Vatican spokesman said.

NAMUGONGO, Uganda – Walking more than 250 miles to keep a religious commitment is the least anyone can expect of Anna Aciro.

On the second anniversary of the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed in 1980 by military squadrons linked to the Regime in San Salvador as he defended the poor, Pope Francis recalled Romero’s religious fervor and passion for justice while warning the faithful against a ‘lukewarm’ Church.

CAIRO – Placing flowers, lighting a candle and praying at the site where dozens of Coptic Orthodox Christians were killed by an Islamic State militant last year, Pope Francis and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II paid homage to those who were killed for their faith.

ROME – The Christian church today needs believers who witness each day to the power of God's love, but it also needs the heroic witness of those who stand up to hatred even when it means giving up their lives, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis on Saturday paid tribute to modern day martyrs whom he said “are the living blood of the Church."

I have long been an ardent fan of Martin Scorsese’s films. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, Casino, etc. are among the defining movies of the last 40 years. The director’s Catholicism, however mitigated and conflicted, comes through in most of his work.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis furthered the sainthood causes of seven men and women as well as recognized more than 100 martyrs who were killed during the Spanish civil war.

VATICAN CITY – Using the word "genocide" to describe the persecution of Christians in the Middle East risks downplaying the courage and witness of those who boldly profess faith in Jesus Christ even in the face of death, Pope Francis said.

At his daily Mass on Thursday, Pope Francis said it is “the saints of ordinary life, and the martyrs of today that carry the Church forward.” They do so, he said, “with their consistent and courageous witness to the Risen Christ, thanks to the working of the Holy Spirit.”

Pope Francis on Saturday morning celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the National Sanctuary of the Ugandan Martyrs at Namugongo. The Shrine commemorates the martyrdom of 22 young Catholic converts during an anti-Christian persecution that took place under Mwanga II, the king of Buganda.

Teachers of a Nation: Jesuits in English Canada, Jesuit History Series, vol. 1, by Joseph B. Gavin S.J. (Novalis, 288 pages, hardcover, $34.95).
Builders of a Nation: Jesuits in English Canada, Jesuit History Series, vol. 2, Jacques Monet S.J. editor (Novalis, 288 pages, hardcover, $34.95).

Talk of Canada’s Jesuits and their history usually conjures images of St. Jean de Brebeuf and his seven companions martyred in the 17th century at the hands of the Iroquois. Those dramatic events, famously recounted in the Jesuit Relations, would inspire and encourage future generations of the Society of Jesus to missionary work and to the care and feeding of the cult of their martyr-confrères.

WARSAW, Poland - Poland's Catholic Church has urged a fitting tribute to hundreds of its priests who died during World War II at the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, Germany.

SEOUL, South Korea - Speaking at the execution site of anonymous Korean martyrs, Pope Francis told Catholic bishops and young laypeople from across Asia to evangelize their continent through dialogue and openness, even with others suspicious or intolerant of the church. But he also urged them to challenge aspects of their cultures incompatible with Christian values.