Pope again calls for prayers for persecuted Christians in Middle East

Source: Vatican News Service

During the General Audience, held in the warmth of the Paul VI Hall on Wednesday, Pope Francis invited once again appealed to those present to pray for "persecuted Christians."

In the audience there were Arabic-speaking pilgrims from Syria, the Holy Land and elsewhere in the Middle East. Pope Francis had special words of greeting for them which brought a wave of applause from the crowd. He told them: "It's a martyred land . . . We must pray for these brothers that are living through the war and for all persecuted Christians.... They want to chase them out of the land. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters."

THe subject his catechesis earlier had been on the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Holy Father said: "in the Eucharist, we offer the Lord what He has given us, asking Him to give Himself to us in exchange."

"We learn from this exchange, between our poverty and His richness, that it's only by giving ourselves that we enrich ourselves; it's only in opening our hearts to the Lord and to brothers that we enable God to fill us with the abundance of His grace."

"May the Lord bless you and protect you from the Evil One," Pope Francis concluded.