Pope Francis hails Uganda Martyrs

Pope Francis visited Uganda in November last year. Below is his homily as he paid tribute to Uganda Martyrs.

In a sermon during a Papal Mass outside the Catholic shrine, Pope Francis spoke of the sacrifice of the 45 men - 23 Anglicans and 22 Roman Catholics - saying that their "witness of love for Christ and his Church has truly gone ‘to the end of the earth.'

"We remember also the Anglican martyrs whose deaths for Christ testify to the ecumenism of blood. All these witnesses nurtured the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives and freely gave testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ, even at the cost of their lives, many at such a young age.

"The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift which is meant to be shared. It unites us to one another as believers and living members of Christ's mystical Body. We do not receive the gift of the Spirit for ourselves alone, but to build up one another in faith, hope and love."

He said that the Ugandan Martyrs "had tended to their faith and deepened their love of God, they were fearless in bringing Christ to others, even at the cost of their lives. Their faith became witness; today, venerated as martyrs, their example continues to inspire people throughout the world. They continue to proclaim Jesus Christ and the power of his Cross.

"Like the Apostles and the Uganda martyrs before us, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit to become missionary disciples called to go forth and bring the Gospel to all. At times this may take us to the end of the earth, as missionaries to faraway lands.

This is essential to the spread of God's Kingdom, and I ask always for your generous response to this need. But we do not need to travel to be missionary disciples. In fact, we need only to open our eyes and see the needs in our homes and our local communities to realize how many opportunities await us.

"Here too the Uganda martyrs show us the way. Their faith sought the good of all people, including the very King who condemned them for their Christian beliefs. Their response was to meet hatred with love, and thus to radiate the splendour of the Gospel. They did not simply tell the King what the Gospel does not allow, but showed through their lives what saying ‘yes' to Jesus really means. It means mercy and purity of heart, being meek and poor in spirit, and thirsting for righteousness in the hope of an eternal reward."

During the tour of the new Uganda Martyrs Museum at the Anglican Shrine, Pope Francis and Archbishop Stanley paused at the fire pit where the twenty-three Anglicans and twenty-two Roman Catholic converts to Christianity were brutally martyred on 3rd June 1886. "This is ecumenism," Pope Francis told Archbishop Stanley.

"The Roman Catholic martyrs died for the same Jesus Christ as the Anglican martyrs," Archbishop Stanley said. "Together, they suffered; together, they sacrificed; together, they sang. Together, their blood has been the seed of the church in Uganda."