{"id":60266,"date":"2026-04-12T15:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T13:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/?p=60266"},"modified":"2026-04-12T15:36:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T13:36:02","slug":"martyrs-of-abitinia-without-sunday-we-cannot-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/en\/actualidad\/martires-de-abitinia-sin-el-domingo-no-podemos-vivir\/","title":{"rendered":"Martyrs of Abitinia: \u2018Without Sunday we cannot live\u201d,\" Pope urges"},"content":{"rendered":"
On the Second Sunday of Easter, established as Divine Mercy Sunday, and on the eve of his trip to four African countries, as the Pope recalled in the Regina caeli, Leo XIV referred to the 49 martyrs of Abitinia. One of them affirmed that \u201cwithout Sunday we cannot live\u201d. Abitinia or Abitina was in the Roman province that included part of Tunisia, Libya and northeastern Algeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This Sunday's Gospel recounts the Apostle Thomas\u201c profession of faith, \u2018the highest in the entire Fourth Gospel: \u2019My Lord and my God\u201d (v. 28)\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pope said in the Regina caeli<\/a> that \u201ccertainly, believing is not always easy. It was not for Thomas and it is not for us either. Faith needs to be nourished and sustained. That is why, on the \u201ceighth day,\u201d that is, every Sunday, the Church invites us to do as the first disciples did: to gather and celebrate the Eucharist together.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In it we listen to the words of Jesus, taught the Successor of Peter, \u201cwe pray, we profess our faith, we share the gifts of God in charity, we offer our life in union with the Sacrifice of Christ, we are nourished by his Body and Blood, so that we too may be witnesses of his Resurrection, as the term \u201cMass\u201d indicates, that is, \u201csending\u201d, \u201cmission\u201d (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1332)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sunday Eucharist is indispensable for the Christian life, the Pope continued. \u201cTomorrow I will leave for the Apostolic Journey to Africa, and precisely some martyrs of the African Church of the first centuries, the martyrs of Abitinia<\/a>, They have left us a beautiful testimony in this regard\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFaced with the proposal to save their lives in exchange for giving up celebrating the Eucharist, they responded that they could not live without celebrating the Lord's Day. It is there that our faith is nourished and grows\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the closing of the XXVI Italian Eucharistic Congress in Bari (Italy), in May 2005, Benedict XVI recalled the scene<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was the feast of Corpus Christi. The Pope said: \u201cIt was significant, among others, the answer that a certain Emeritus gave to the proconsul who asked him why they had transgressed the severe order of the emperor. He answered: \u201cSine dominico non possumus\u201d; that is, without gathering in assembly on Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist we cannot live. We would lack the strength to face the daily difficulties and not succumb\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After atrocious tortures, saint Saturninus and other 48 martyrs of Abitinia<\/a> were killed. \u201cThus, with the effusion of blood, they confirmed their faith. They died, but they conquered; now we remember them in the glory of the risen Christ. On the experience of the martyrs of Abitina we too, Christians of the 21st century, must reflect,\u201d Pope Benedict suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the recitation of the Regina caeli<\/a>, The Pontiff recalled that many Eastern Churches celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar. \u201cTo all these communities, I extend my most sincere wishes for peace, in communion of faith in the Risen Lord.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He then prayed for those suffering because of the war, especially for \u201cthe beloved Ukrainian people\u201d and for the \u201cdear Lebanese people\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pope stressed that \u201cnext Wednesday marks three years since the beginning of the bloody conflict in Sudan, and how much the Sudanese people, the innocent victims of this inhuman tragedy, are suffering! I reiterate my sincere appeal to the parties to the conflict to lay down their arms and to begin, without preconditions, an honest dialogue to put an end to this fratricidal war as soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the Pontiff greeted the Romans and pilgrims present in St. Peter's Square, \u201cespecially the faithful who celebrated the Sunday of the Eucharist\". Divine Mercy<\/a> in the Sanctuary of Santo Spirito in Sassia\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before giving the blessing, he asked and thanked us to accompany him with prayers during his ten-day apostolic journey to four African countries: Algeria<\/a>, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. And he referred to \u201cthe Virgin Mary, blessed for having been the first to believe without seeing (cf. Jn<\/em> 20,29)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" En el II Domingo de Pascua, instaurado como Domingo de la Divina Misericordia, y en v\u00edsperas de su viaje a cuatro pa\u00edses africanos, como ha recordado el Papa en el Regina caeli, Le\u00f3n XIV se ha referido a los 49 m\u00e1rtires de Abitinia. Uno de ellos afirm\u00f3 que \u201csin el domingo no podemos vivir\u201d. Abitinia […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2425,"featured_media":60267,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[36,51],"tags":[2319],"class_list":["post-60266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualidad","category-vaticano","tag-papa-leon-xiv"],"yoast_head":"\nThe martyrs of Abitinia: a beautiful testimony <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Benedict XVI: \u201cwe would lack the strength\u201d.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Eastern churches: wishes for peace<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beloved Ukrainian and Lebanese peoples<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Three years of war in Sudan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Divine Mercy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Accompanying the Pope on his apostolic journey to Africa<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n