The persecution of Christians should be a focus of governments all across the world that have commitments to human rights and religious freedom. 

For more ChristianPersecution.com coverage of persecution as a growing phenomenon and actions to safeguard religious freedom, see here.

“Persecution Should Not “dampen our missionary zeal”: Catholic Archbishop in Angola,” by João Vissesse, ACI Africa, May 1, 2024:

Christians have to keep alive the zeal to share the Gospel, Bishop Maurício Agostinho Camuto of Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Caxito has said.

In his Sunday, April 28 homily at St. Mark Parish of his Episcopal See, Bishop Camuto cautioned against discouragement occasioned by persecution.

“The persecution the Church suffers today is not something new. This should not dampen our missionary zeal,” he said.

The Angolan member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Holy Ghost Fathers/Spiritans) recognized the power of the Gospel seen in how a small group of initially fearful apostles of Jesus facilitated the spreading of the Word of God throughout the world.

“The Gospel is our strength, and nothing can limit this strength,” he said, and added, “We have seen from the beginning that a small insignificant group has today become a body spread throughout the world, so that today no one can say, ‘I have never heard of God, I have never heard of Christ’. No one can say that anymore.”

Not being able to defend Christian faith is akin to paganism, Bishop Camuto said. “A Christian can no longer behave like a pagan, as we see in our land. We see today in our land that Christians don’t even have the courage to defend their Church, the courage to support their Church,” he lamented.

When Christians “are in their offices, when they are in their places of service, when they are in Parliament, when they are in ministries, they don’t have the courage to defend their Church. They don’t have the courage to defend Priests, to defend mothers,” he further lamented….