Vatican City, Apr 1, 2015 / 01:46 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis, in his General Audience address for Holy Week, said that the Christian martyrs of today, by the shedding of their blood, join with Christ in serving the Church through their witness.

“Even today,” the Pope said in off-the-cuff remarks, “there are many men and women, true martyrs, who offer their lives with Jesus to confess the faith only for this reason; it is a service. A service of the Christian witness to the point of shedding blood.”